Fire Emblem: Pokemon Awakening
by MBenz4268
Summary: A Pokemon Watcher arrives in Ylisse by unknown means. Now under the Shepherd's protection she not only tries to find her way home but try to find out why more and more Pokemon are appearing in the new world. Co-written by kitsunelover300
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there party people! MBenz here with another story! I've had this on my mind literally forever. I've read two other stories that had a similar idea but since they AREN'T UPDATING I figured I give it a shot myself. As stated in my summary there will be OCs in here but the story of Awakening is remains relatively unchanged (Except for maybe a couple things here and there).**

 **Hope you like it!**

It was nighttime at the kingdom of Ylisse. But the silence of the night was broken by a large thud that awoken a young man who was asleep in a forest clearing. He had dark blue hair that matched his dark blue clothing, a ragged white cape, a large piece of shoulder armor on his left arm and a bear shoulder with a tear drop looking design on his right. He also had a white belt held a sheathed sword.

After hearing him wake up a younger girl who was asleep next to him. She had blond hair done in pigtails, wore a yellow dress and brown corset over some sort of bell shaped cage with a staff right beside her. The two of them decided to investigate the forest to see what was wrong, leaving their other two companions behind asleep.

"It sure is dark… and quiet. Where the birds go…?" the girl asked nervously.

"Something is wrong here…" the man said as he scanned the area. He was especially wary since he's heard rumors going about on unusual creatures that have been spotted around Ylisse. In the beginning they were just a couple sightings of odd looking birds and rodents but as the weeks pass the sightings became more frequent, people claiming to see everything from "walking plants" to "foxes that breathe fire".

"Sol!" cried a gruff voice that broke his thoughts.

The two of them turned to see a creature of what could only be described as a large mountain cat jumping out in front of them. But it was definitely different looking in appearance; it had pure white fur which contrasted with its black-blue face, sharp claws and short triangular tail. It's most noticeable feature a sickle like horn coming out of the right side of its face.

"Chrom…" She whispered as she got behind the man.

"Stay behind me. It must be one these… animals that have been appearing lately." Chrom said as he grabbed his sword's hilt; almost waiting for the feline to attack, but it did no such thing and kept glaring at them with its piercing red eyes. When the two humans didn't move it expression went from stoic to frustrated.

"Sol! Absol!" It started barking at them and made gestures with its head as if it was saying 'Leave now!'.

Before they had a chance to react a large tremor shook from beneath them.

"Ahh! Chrom!"

"Gods, what- what is this madness?! Lissa, stay close!" Chrom commanded her.

Then they noticed as the earthquake continued the trees started to topple over. Not wanting to wait any longer the white creature ran in front of them.

"Absol!" It shouted before it ran ahead.

Without thinking twice Chrom turned to Lissa.

"Lissa. Run."

"Huh?'

"I mean it! GO!" He exclaimed as he pushed her ahead of him. They took off just when a large portion of the ground was raised in behind them and making lava burst from the ground. Chunks of molten rocks flew from the cracks and as they landed in the trees it set nearly the whole forest ablaze, leaving Chrom and Lissa to run for their lives.

 **Meanwhile…**

In another part off the burning forest a girl in her early twenties was running behind a giant blue bipedal turtle with a rock like shell (Carracosta) releasing streams of water from its mouth trying to put out the fire. By her feet was a small black fox with a turf of red fur on its head (Zorua).

"Keep going Riptide! We gotta get out of here!" Shouted the girl in a panicked tone.

"Carra!" The large turtle nodded as he unleashed another stream of water ahead as they kept running.

 _This is_ _ **crazy**_ _! Five minutes ago I was doing some sketches of the Snowpoint Temple, now I'm in the middle of the forest?! That's on_ _ **FIRE**_ _!_ _This is so not how I wanted to spend my day!_ She ranted in her mind not noticing a molten rock heading right for her, until it was destroyed by a shadowy ball of energy caused by her fox.

"Whoa! Thanks Midnight!"

The little fox responded with a happy yip. _At least I have my Pokémon with me…_

The trio continued running until the girl fell down when two other individuals jumped of a small cliff and onto her.

"OW! What's the big idea?!" She exclaimed in irritation but turned confused when she saw the people dressed in what could be described as medieval style clothing. The strangers in turn were also perplexed not only by her sudden appearance but by her "weird" style of clothing. She wore brown steam punk style goggles on the top of her head, a red shirt over a black vest, black denim jeans, brown hiking boots and a dark gray scarf wrapped around her neck, slightly covering her mouth. She had hazel eyes, dark purple hair done in a shoulder-length ponytail on the left side of her head, with the ends of it and her Hime style bangs ending with red-ish hue.

The cries of her animal companions (which they suddenly noticed) snapped them out of their stupor as they remembered what they were doing before.

"Sorry for running into you but we need to get out of here!" Chrom apologized quickly before he and Lissa ran off. Having nowhere else to go she decided to follow them. When they were a good distance from the fire, Chrom noticed the stranger and her animals following them.

"Now that we're… relatively safe. Who might you be miss…?" He asked her as she tried to catch her breath.

"Name's Ryo. And you are…?"

"Chrom, what is that?!" Lissa asked pointing at the sky before he could respond. Everyone looked the see a light coming from the sky. Turning into a portal surrounded by Zodiac symbols that opened like an eye.

Suddenly four humanoid figures came through the portal and fell to the trees below. They stood up from the fall, seemingly unharmed, with their eerie red eyes glowing through the darkness.

"Lissa. You and Ryo better stand back." He ordered as he unsheathed his sword, the Falchion.

The two girls did as they were told as Midnight and Riptide stayed close to protect them as well.

The four creatures lurched even closer, breathing a purple miasma from their gaping mouths. Three of the zombies, one carrying an axe and the other two swords, suddenly dashed towards Chrom and the animals. Chrom managed to get out of their path and give the axe wielding one a quick slash across its body, but instead of it falling defeated, it turned its neck in a bone crunching fashion to look at Chrom and swung it's axe at him again. Luckily Chrom blocked it and gave the zombie a strong push to the ground, then stabbing its back with his sword; causing it to disappear in a cloud of smoke.

While trying to regain his composure he saw the little black fox blasting a zombie with what looked like multiple spheres of dark magic (Shadow Ball) and the giant turtle slamming it's large flipper on the ground making pointed rocks with blue aura appear from the ground (Stone Edge) to pierce the other. Chrom suddenly thought back to these animal sightings across Ylisse.

But a scream of terror broke him out of his scrambled thoughts "Lissa!"

Lissa and Ryo had their backs against a boulder as they faced another zombie. Lissa holding out her staff trying to provide some sort of protection as Ryo was holding to her trying her best not to cry.

 _Not happening! Not happening! Not happening!_ Ryo thought in a panic state.

Seeing their owner in danger Midnight and Riptide ran as fast as they could to get to them.

Just when the zombie raised its axe on them, another figure came through the portal. But this one was definitely human, wearing regal looking blue clothing with a blue cape that was dark red on the inside of it and a sword strapped to his side. He had short blue hair with a gold headband on top and wearing a blue butterfly shaped mask. He landed on the ground just in time to block the axe from the girls.

As he was straining from the sheer weight of the blow he turned to Chrom. "Help!"

"…Right!" Chrom responded breaking out of his stupor as he charged for the zombie. Getting distracted from the battle cry, the masked swordsman pushed its weight of him as he and Chrom managed to slash it in perfect sync; turning it to smoke.

Lissa lowered her staff in relief and Ryo was calming down but still being cautious with this new character that showed up.

As the stranger withdrawing his sword Chrom walked up to him. "Quite an entrance. What's your name?"

He said nothing as he turned his head towards Chrom.

 **Meanwhile… In another plane of existence…**

Dialga was not happy. No scratch that, he was **furious**. Someone or something, somewhere, was trying to alter time, without his permission! He can overlook Celebi's time travel exploits because she only uses it for sightseeing, but these individuals, as there was more than one, were trying to directly trying to change history.

He understood that there were events that are painful and people wish they can go back and change it but things happen for a reason. One thing changes and everything changes.

Palkia was in no better mood either. Because of this event it was also sending ripples throughout the dimensions and it was creating small portals across multiple worlds and sucking unsuspecting Pokémon through! At first he only had one suspect…

"Okay Palkia I know what you're thinking but this one? Not my fault!" Defended the djinn Pokémon Hoopa, growing terrified by Palkia's judging gaze.

"As much as I loath to admit it brother, Hoopa is telling the truth." Hissed the Renegade Pokémon Giratina. "These occurrences are too sporadic. Too random."

"That is not the only thing." Spoke Arceus, the god of all Pokémon as he stepped forward, with the Lake Trio flying around his head. In light of recent events he called meeting amongst the Legendaries in the Hall of Origin to discuss what they have been seeing, as more and more them were witnessing these events before their eyes.

"As witnessed by Regigigas not long ago. Right beside his temple a human fell through a portal."

Those words alone were enough to send the entire hall into a frenzy. So far they were fortunate enough that these portals weren't showing so close to towns but that was no longer the case.

"Well you are going to bring that human back right…?" Asked Celebi shyly.

"No."

That got them in even more of a frenzy. Especially with the God of Space.

"Are you serious?! You are not going to do anything about this problem?! WHY?!" Palkia demanded.

"Peace, son. Let me explain. I'll bring the human back but not at this moment. Uxie suggested we can use this human to figure out whom or what is causing this anomaly. Besides there is something blocking us from bringing her and all the misplaced Pokémon back, so we couldn't even if we'd try. We discovered that this particular dimension has no Pokémon of its own, if any of us would go we would just spread panic amongst these people and you and I know how well these Pokémon trainers can handle these kinds of situations, or need I remind you?"

"He is right brother. Remember Spear Pillar?" Dialga spoke up. He didn't like the plan but it was probably the best one they have. ***1**

Palkia sighed in defeat "Fine. But doesn't this human have relatives that would worry?"

This time it was Uxie who answered. "She has relatives but a good majority of them are either refuse to talk to her or distant relatives who barely know her. The only one she is close to is an older brother."

Uxie knew the reason why, but figured it wasn't their business.

"Well just hope this plan of yours can fix this mess." Dialga said, somewhat glaring at the Being of Knowledge.

"Maybe I can explain…" Said an unknown female voice. Every Legendary turned to see a small human-like figure at their feet. She had long green hair a red dress with a see through cloth seemingly floating around her. Her most striking features were pointed ears and the fact that she was practically glowing.

"Who are you and how did you manage to find this sacred place?" Arceus questioned in a dangerous tone. Humans have NEVER been in the Hall of Origin without his say so and even then it was a rarity; they were lucky to get as close as Spear Pillar.

The woman only bowed at deity. "I apologize for my intrusion, Lord Arceus. My name is Naga. I can tell you are all upset with someone who changes history but I'm here to tell you that you need to make an exception this time…"

 ***1) I thought it would be a good reference to the Gen 4 games.**

 **Well this is my first chapter! I hope you like the direction I'm going. Next chapter will have more, I promise! So in the meantime read some of my other stories, two of them as of now hasn't had any reviews and I really want some feedback on how I can improve!**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter 2! I'd like to clear something up, for all my stories with Pokémon in them I combine both game logic and anime logic, you'll see what I mean later on. Yeah… I don't have much to say this time. WAIT! ` I completely forgot to do this last chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Both Pokémon and Fire Emblem belong to Nintendo.**

"Milord! Milady! Are you hurt?!" Called out a male voice as a heavily armored man with brown hair riding an armored horse came through the trees, along with a young woman with a long dark purple robe, her long white hair done into two pigtails.

"Frederick! Robin!" Lissa called out relieved to see them.

"Are such horrific creatures commonplace in these lands?" Robin asked as she saw more of the undead falling through the portal.

"They're not from Ylisse, I can promise you that." Chrom responded.

"No one is injured, then? Thank the gods…" Frederick sighed in relief.

"Thank the masked man who saved me! If it wasn't for him I'd be-" Lissa elated but paused when she realized the aforementioned stranger wasn't around. "Hey, where did he go?"

"We can worry about him later, after we put these… things… to the blade." Frederick said as he lowered his spear. "Eyes open now. We know nothing about this enemy."

"Right." Chrom agreed, readying the Falchion in his hand.

"Wait! What about Ryo?" Lissa suddenly asked.

"Ryo?" Robin repeated the name.

"Um…me." Ryo spoke up shyly, giving the two who just arrived an awkward wave. Her Zorua and Carracosta remained by her side protectively. Robin looked at the Pokémon with awe while Frederick had a surprised look on his face before the former regained her composure.

"As much as we want to question you about your… companions… we have a situation to deal with. If you want to steer clear of harm perhaps you should stay behind us as much as you can. At least until these monsters are defeated, is that alright?" Robin explained to her hoping she was fine with the idea.

Ryo only gave a slight nod; she was still trying to process what's happening before her.

After that, the Shepherds plus Ryo and her Pokémon charged over to the zombies, cutting down as many of them as they could and later reinforcements came in the form of a female cavalier with short red hair and an archer with long powder blue hair.

In the corner of her eye she spotted the masked swordsman from earlier trying to fight three zombies at once with little results. Knowing the rest of the Shepherds were preoccupied themselves, she decided to take action herself.

"Midnight use Dark Pulse! Riptide use Aqua Jet!" She commanded her Pokémon.

The Zorua released a shadowy beam of horrid thoughts at one zombie while the Carracosta suddenly became cloaked in rushing water and charged at another zombie. After they dissolved into smoke he turned to Ryo with the same stoic expression from before.

"You have my gratitude." He said to them (Ryo noticed his voice sounded feminine) before running off in another direction.

"Um… you're welcome?" Ryo said to herself before seeing one more group of zombies heading towards Lissa. Although she had Robin protecting her, she was getting overwhelmed by the amount.

Her thoughts were broken when she felt Midnight tugging on her pants. She was giving her trainer a couple barks and pointing to the crowd.

"Good idea! Get over there and use Night Daze!"

Midnight dashed passed the other two girls and into the undead horde. They noticed the Zorua getting a thin dark aura as she lifted her front paws up.

"What are you-?"

"GET BACK!" Ryo shouted out to them.

Without question, they backed away from the fox just as she slammed her paws into the ground causing a huge explosion of dark energy, blasting the creatures into smithereens. The bystanders were shocked that such a small animal had so much power.

"Gods…"

"Wha..?"

"How?"

Midnight saw they're gaping mouths and just gave a teasing laugh at their expense as she went back to Ryo.

"Good work girl!" She complemented as Midnight gave her a happily licked her face.

Everyone else was still stupefied by what happened until Frederick got his thoughts back in order. "It's seems all the creatures were vanquished. This young man took care of the rest." He said as the masked stranger from earlier walked up to them.

"Um, I never got to thank you… for before. So… thank you. You were very brave…" Lissa said sheepishly.

Chrom stepped towards the individual "You save my sister's life. My name is Chrom. Might I ask yours?"

After a moment of silence he finally answered "You may call me Marth."

That name caught him by surprise. "Marth? After the heroic king of old? Well you certainly fought like hero. We're did you learn the way of the sword?"

"I am not here to talk about me. The world teeters to a brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned." He said ominously as he walked off.

Ryo just silently blinked at what he says _Okaaaay…. How the heck did end up in a fantasy novel?_

"Huh? The what's teetering where now? Hey wait!" Lissa called out but he was already gone.

Chrom's brow furrowed on how Marth left things "Not one for conversation is he?"

"Perhaps. But because of his steel, it would not be the last we hear of him. I suggest we head back, I fear for the capital." Frederick said but not before looking towards their other new arrival. "But first… can you tell me who you are and how are your… pets… capable of such abilities."

"Like I said, my name is Ryo. And have you seriously never seen Pokémon before?" She asked in somewhat disbelief.

"…Pokémon?"

Ryo blinked in amazement at the confused expressions "Wow… you're really serious. Well…um, Pokémon are basically animals, like your horses," Frederick and the red headed girl turned to their mounts. "But over time they evolved to have special powers of their own. They come in many shapes sizes and they're really smart too."

Midnight yipped in response to that, making Ryo giggle. "For instance, Midnight here is a Zorua, a Dark-Type Pokémon." At the same time Riptide came over to them. "And Riptide here is a Carracosta, a Rock and Water Type." The large turtle grunted in response.

Ryo's explanation made Lissa think of something "Chrom, the creature sightings all over Ylisse. Could they be these Pokémon things?"

"It's possible…" Chrom trailed off before turning back to Ryo. "If I may ask, where are you from?"

"Ecruteak City."

"Um… I apologize but I have never heard of… Ecruteak City."

The purple haired trainer's eyes widened slightly "…Ever heard of the Johto Region? …Anybody?" She asked with hope but it came crashing down when everyone shook their heads. "So… where am I?"

"You're in the Halidom of Ylisse; more specifically near the capital of Ylisstol. Does that help?" Chrom questioned back only to have Ryo shake her head in response.

"All I know I was visiting a temple in another region, there was a flash and suddenly *poof!* I'm in a burning forest with sword wielding zombies!" Trying to hide her frustration (and slight fear) with some dry humor.

Chrom scratched his chin deep in thought. This situation reminded him of Robin's, minus the whole amnesia thing. He couldn't just leave her in an unfamiliar area, especially with these brigand attacks that have been happening lately.

"Well until then how about you stay with us. At least until you can figure out a way back." He offered her.

"Is that wise Milord? For all we know she's the cause of these sightings." Frederick suggested.

"I'm right here ya know?" Ryo said getting his attention. "Besides I'm no low life, just an average researcher. Well… apprentice researcher but you get the idea!"

The knight just sighed. "Very well. But I have my eye on you."

"Now that that's settled. Let's head back to Ylisstol." Chrom announced to the others.

Ryo then brought out a small red and white ball from her belt, enlarged it and tossed in the air "Come on out Jeb!"

The ball opened and released a blob of white light revealing a large goat with what seemed to be a bush growing on its back. It was wearing a saddle with some large orange bags attached to it. Everyone gasped at what happened.

"Whoa! Where the hell did that come from?!" the red headed rider exclaimed.

"This is a Pokéball. It's used to carry Pokémon for long periods of time without hurting the Pokémon. Which reminds me…Riptide return!" She then pointed another Pokéball at the Carracosta and he got sucked in a red light back in his ball.

"Incredible… but…" Lissa wondered as she eyed the balls curiously.

"Like I said the Pokémon don't get hurt while they're in hear. And unless they don't like tight spaces, they don't mind being inside them." Ryo assured as she got on Jeb's back.

"So what kind of Pokémon is this one?" Lissa asked again as she pet Jeb's head.

"He's a Gogoat, a Grass type."

"What's all this talk about 'types' anyway?" Robin questioned.

"Well…"

 **Later…**

As the sun was rising on their way to Ylisstol, Ryo explained the basics of Pokémon to the group, who introduced themselves as the Shepherds (the reinforcements from earlier introduced themselves as Sully and Virion), everything from the 18 types, abilities, battle capabilities, etc. She even showed them a National Pokedex that was an encyclopedia for the different species she encountered (though they did get a bit spooked by the talking box). But she was surprised when Chrom told that there have been Pokémon sightings around the country for the past two weeks but no one had any explanation for it.

"So you had normal animals in the past?" Frederick questioned regarding the fact she mentioned earlier.

"Yeah research shows that animals exited around the same time as Pokémon. But over time they either became Pokémon themselves or died out. Nowadays the only regular animals we have are some fish, bugs and a few livestock. The rest of the fauna are Pokémon." Ryo explained further.

"Wow…" Chrom said. Both amazed and shocked that normal animals could just vanish in to ones with, for lack of a better term, with magic of their own.

"My word, you know quite a lot about these Pokémon, young lady." Virion praised.

Ryo blushed with embarrassment. "Well… I'm a Pokémon Watcher; I've been studying them for some time now. I even helped out professors all across the world."

Suddenly Midnight popped out of one of Jeb's saddlebags with a notebook in her mouth and handed it to Lissa who was riding with Ryo.

"Midnight!" She scolded as blushed even more with embarrassment but Lissa was already looking at it.

"Wow these are really pretty pictures, Ryo!" She complemented as she looked through sketches of Pokémon and places that she'd never seen before. Like the Anistar sundial, Sootopolis City, the Ilex Shine, just to name a few. Soon enough everyone was taking a peek at her sketches.

"These areamazing. You're really a talented artist!" Robin praised as well.

"Oh thanks… it's just a hobby really."

"Well here we are everyone." Chrom announced suddenly as they arrived at large town with many people already going about their day. Ryo was starting to feel a little awkward when people were staring at her, well at Jeb mostly, who was also starting to get nervous with the attention. She instantly realized it was because she had her hands on his horns, forgetting how sensitive Gogoats are to their riders feelings when they touch their horns.

The Pokémon Watcher immediately let go of his horns and started to rub his neck. "Shhh…. It's ok Jeb. No need to be scared…" She whispered to her mount as he brayed softly.

"So this is Ylisstol, capital of Ylisse… I've never seen so many people!" Robin exclaimed in surprised.

"It appears the capitol has been spared the chaos we've encountered, thank the gods." Frederick said in relief.

"Well that's a relief!" Lissa agreed.

"Look! The Exalt has come to see us!" Exclaimed an elderly villager.

Everyone turned to see a blonde woman with long green robes walk amongst the people; surrounded by guards mounted on winged horses (or pegasi as Lissa told her). She seemed to radiate a calming aura.

"The Exalt she's your ruler, yes?" Robin inquired while Ryo blinked at the unfamiliar word.

"Exalt? Is she… like, a queen?"

Frederick nodded. "Yes. Her name is Emmeryn."

"Is it safe for her to be amongst commoners like this?"

"The exalt is a symbol of peace, Ylisse's most prized quality. Long ago, at the dawn of our age, the fell dragon tried to destroy the world. But the first exalt joined forces with the divine dragon and laid the beast low. Exalt Emmeryn reminds us of all of the peace we fought for then." Frederick explained which Chrom continued.

"With Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her. She's a calming presence, when some might otherwise call for war."

Robin then had a smile of her own. "Then the people are lucky to have her."

"And the best big sister anyone could ask for!" Lissa cheered. Ryo's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Yes I can imagine-" Robin suddenly stopped when she just registered what Lissa said "Wait. Sister?! Wouldn't that make you and Chrom-?"

"The prince and princess of the kingdom? Yes. You remember Chrom's name but not this?" Frederick humored but still suspicious of her amnesia.

"But you said you were 'shepherds'!"

"And so we are. In a manner of speaking. We just have A LOT of sheep." Chrom said.

"Oh… well… Chrom-Er! Prince Chrom! Sire! Please forgive my dreadful manners!" Robin fumbled with her words as she did an awkward bow. Ryo did the same with Midnight giggled at their expense.

"Just Chrom is fine. I was never one for formalities."

"The prince and princess… That explains why Frederick tolerates all the teasing, eh?"

"Indeed. Oh the sacrifices I make for the good of the realm." Frederick sighed.

"It looks like Emm is returning to the palace. Would you like to meet her?" Chrom invited.

Both Robin and Ryo timidly nodded and with that they made their way to the castle.

 _I'm going to meet royalty… Yep… I'm TOTALLY not dreaming._

 **One of the stories I read gave me the idea about the whole "animals-evolving-into-Pokémon" thing. And when you think about it, in the anime there were a couple episodes were REAL worms and REAL fish showed up and in the Pokedex entries they do mention normal animals (Raichu can knock out Indian elephants. Nuff said) so this doesn't seem so farfetched right?**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm SO sorry for not updating! My computer's been acting screwy with me! Since my cousin lent me her tablet (which I'm still learning how to work), I have to look up the chapter I need on the tablet, write the chapter on my laptop, save it on a jump drive and update on one of the computers in my town library! The lengths I go to for you people! But not doing it drives me nuts too, so I made this chapter extra long for ya!**

After Sully and Virion retired to the Shepherds barracks outside of Ylisstol, the rest of the group made their way towards the castle (with Ryo returning Jeb to his ball before going inside). Ryo was in awe of the grandeur the throne room, she then noticed Exalt Emmeryn, smiling warmly, standing by her side was another woman in bronze plate armor with her pale blue (almost white) hair tied in a bun.

"Chrom! Lissa! Welcome home. Oh, and good day Frederick. How fare you all?" Emmeryn asked.

"Well, we shouldn't have any bandit problems for a while." Answered Chrom.

Emmeryn smiled at the answer "Wonderful. And our people?"

"Safe as can be, Emm, but we still need to watch the borders. The brigands crossed over from Plegia."

The armored woman then spoke up. "Forgive me, milord. My pegasus knights should have intercepted them."

"No, Phila. Your duty is here with the exalt." Chrom assured.

"And besides, we had plenty of help!" Lissa added.

"Ah, you speak of your new companions here?" Emmeryn questioned as she looked towards Robin and Ryo.

"This is Robin. She fought bravely with us against the Plegians. And Ryo here helped us out in the woods last night when we encountered some… trouble. I've decided to make both of them Shepherds." Chrom gestured to the two of them."

"It sounds as though Ylisse owes you two a debt of gratitude." Emmeryn said gratefully.

"Not at all milady!" Robin said nervously.

"T-Thank you. But I can take all the credit. My Pokémon did most of the work…" Ryo admitted equally flustered.

"Pokémon?" Emmeryn repeated with confusion before glancing at the Zorua jumping from her perch on Ryo's head.

"Midnight, no!" She scolded at Midnight but it fell on deaf ears as she was already at Emmeryn's feet, her tail wagging happily.

Phila was slightly startled by the fox but Emmeryn didn't seem to mind as she got on her knees and started to pet Midnight behind her ears, who responded with happy yips.

"I-I'm so sorry! Midnight can be a bit too friendly with new people!" Ryo apologized covering her face with her hands in an attempt to hide her blushing.

The Exalt giggled at both the creature and her owner's shyness. "There is no need to be sorry. I assume this little fox is a 'Pokémon', correct?"

Ryo moved her hands away to look at Emmeryn. "…Kind of. Midnight is a type of Pokémon called a Zorua. Where I'm from they're many different kinds of Pokémon."

"Interesting… Care to explain?"

Then Ryo gave Emmeryn a brief explanation on Pokémon, her home and how she ended up here. Still incredibly nervous about talking to what was pretty much a queen, afraid she wouldn't believe her story. Even though Pokémon was a subject she excelled in she was no professor. But Emmeryn listened closely and was patient even when she fumbled with her words.

"Hmm… So these animals with magic powers, Pokémon, are creatures from a far away land? Much like yourself?" Emmeryn summarized from Ryo's explanation, who nodded in response. "I see. From what you told me on how you came to the halidom , this must be quite a scare for you…"

Chrom then decided to jump in. "Since Pokémon are starting to appear in Ylisse I've made Ryo our Pokémon expert. To learn how to deal with them; at least until she finds her way back home."

"I-I hope I'll be enough help!" Ryo stuttered out.

"Forgive me, Your Grace, but I must speak." Frederick spoke up sternly. "While Ryo has a vast knowledge of these Pokémon she could very well be the reason they are here in the first place. And Robin claims to have lost her memory but it is only that: a claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that they are brigands themselves or even Plegian spies."

"Frederick!" Chrom whispered indignantly at the knight as Ryo kept her head down and Midnight started growling at him softly.

"Yet you allowed them into the castle, Chrom. Do they have you're trust?" Emmeryn asked her brother calmly.

"Yes. They risked their lives for our people. That's good enough for me."

Emmeryn then turned to the two of them. "Well then, Robin, Ryo… it seems you two have earned Chrom's faith and as such you have earned mine as well."

"Milady…" Robin silently thanked as Ryo bowed her head.

"But thank you, Frederick, for your prudence as always. Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so tireless a guardian. I do hope they remember that they mention that from time to time." Emmeryn said.

"They occasionally express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace." Frederick sighed before turning to Phila.

"Phila, I assumed you've heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?"

Phila nodded in response. "Yes, milord. They've been sighted all across Ylisse. But unlike these… Pokémon as you call them, they are clearly hostile."

"Chrom, we are about to hold council. I was hoping you could join us." Said Emmeryn.

"Of course."

"I think that's our cue girls! C'mon lemme show you the barracks." Lissa chimed in as she dragged the two by their wrist to the outside, with Midnight scurrying behind them.

 **Later…**

Arriving in the outskirts of Ylisstol, they arrived at the Shepherds' barracks, which consisted of various wooden and stone buildings and horse stables. When they went inside they met up with a burly man with spiky blond hair with some armor on his arms and legs and a woman with pale brown hair with pink body armor, a hair pin shaped like wings in her hair and maroon boots.

"Here we are: the Shepherds' garrison! Go on, make yourselves at home." Lissa said gesturing around her to the two newcomers.

"Lissa, my treasure! Are you alright? I've been on pins and needles!" called out a another woman with a sophisticated accent, wearing pink colored clothing, her blonde hair done in coiled braids and carrying a closed pink parasol.

Lissa grinned at her "Oh hey Maribelle!"

"'Oh hey' yourself! I've spouted fourteen gray hairs fretting over you!"

Lissa just waved off the answer. "Aw you worry too much. I can handle a battle or two!... Although I could do without the bugs and the bear barbecue…"

Then the man walked up to them. "Hey, squirt! Where's Chrom? I bet he had a rough time without ol' Teach and his trusty axe!"

"Oh, so you're 'Teach' now, Vaike, is it? And here I thought people were just born lacking wits. I can be taught?" Lissa joked.

"Ha! Never doubt the Vaike!" Then it clicked in his mind on what she said. "Wait, was that an insult?"

Robin tried to stifle her laughter while Midnight started giggling at his expense and Ryo just looked at him funny. … _Seriously?_

"Beg pardon, but when might we see the captain?" Asked the brown haired woman.

"Poor Sumia. She's been beside herself with concern; her eyes were scanning the horizon all day during training – she might have earned fewer bruises fighting blindfolded." Maribelle joked.

"Aw Sumia, that's so sweet of you to worry about Chrom." Lissa said.

"Worry? Well, I… He's our captain and our prince- of course I'd worry!" said Sumia with a blush.

"So, who are the two strangers?" asked Vaike getting a look at them.

"No one's stranger than you Vaike… But allow me to introduce Robin and Ryo! They just joined the Shepherds. Chrom's made Robin our new tactician and you know these funny looking animals that have been showing up lately? Well Ryo's our new expert on them. You should see all the tricks they got on their sleeve!" Lissa introduced cheerfully.

"Oh yeah? Can any of them do this?" Vaike said as he let loose a really long and loud burp.

"Ew!" Ryo cringed. But Midnight was rolling on the floor laughing out loud and Robin almost looked amused.

"Well I see I have much to learn about the belching arts 'Teach'. But all the same, pleasure to make your acquaintances."

"Ugh Vaike, that was abhorrent! Must you baseborn oafs pollute even the air with your buffoonery? Robin, don't encourage him! At least Ryo agrees with me, but you should teach your pet some manners!" Maribelle snapped as she walked out in disgust.

Midnight really didn't like her attitude so she blew her a raspberry behind Maribelle's back; in which Ryo shot her a scolding look. At that moment she caught a glance at a man with short black hair wearing very bulky armor, but surprisingly no one else seemed to notice him.

 _Did she just look at me?_ The armored man thought in surprise.

Ryo's thoughts were interrupted when Sumia spoke up.

"Don't take it to heart. Maribelle warms up to people slowly." Sumia said.

"Or burns too quickly! But yeah give her time." Lissa added.

Right then Chrom and Frederick entered the room.

"Ah! Captain! You've returned! I was- I mean, we were so-" Sumia called out before she tripped and fell on her face.

"Are you ok?!" Ryo asked as she and Chrom helped Sumia on her feet.

"Those boots of yours again?" Chrom said to her. Apparently this was a regular occurrence.

"No! I mean yes! I mean… *sigh*"

"All right, listen everyone: in the morning we'll be marching to Regna Ferox." Chrom announced.

"Regna Ferox?" Robin asked.

"A unified kingdom to Ylisse's north. Inhabited by barbarians, or so it's said." Sumia answered.

"Warriors are what they are, and we'll need their strength to quell this new menace. Typically, the exalt would request such aid in person. But given recent events… well, the people might worry should my sister suddenly leave the capital, so the task has been passed to us." Chrom explained.

"Now this mission is strictly voluntary so if anyone-"

"I volunteer!" Lissa interrupted.

"Me too! You'll need Teach to help you on such a delicate mission!" Vaike boasted.

"I'll go too!" Spoke up the armored man, spooking everyone except Ryo and her Zorua. "What? I've been here the whole time!"

The Pokémon trainer then walked up to him. "Hey… what's your name?"

"It's Kellam and did you really just notice me?" Kellam asked still somewhat incredulous.

"Um… yeah. It's kinda hard not to notice you! With that huge armor and all that." She said and Midnight nodded in agreement.

"Heh, you'd think. But somehow I still fade into the background…" He proved his point by showing that everyone was ignoring him again when Chrom was trying to comfort Sumia on whether or not she wanted to be a part of the mission.

"Wow…"

"I'm used to it. Anyway, are you coming with us?"

"I don't know who said that but you should join us Ryo!" Lissa quipped ignoring Kellam's flat expression.

Ryo blushed a bit. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! You'd be a big help if we see more Pokémon!"

"I guess… I just hope I don't get in the way."

"Um excuse me…" Spoke up Sumia. "I know Lissa said that they are these new animals but… what exactly are 'Pokémon' ?"

"Ryo says that she comes from a land where almost every animal has evolved to have magic of their own and became creatures known as Pokémon. So much so that normal animals are practically a rarity." Robin summarized her explanation.

"Really?" Maribelle asked in surprise as she walked back in with Sully and Virion. Those who didn't know from before were also shocked from such an explanation. Robin motioned for Ryo to continue for her.

"Yeah… take Midnight for example." She said picking up her Zorua. "While normal foxes have been extinct for millennia, fox Pokémon like her took their place."

"Wow…" Everyone gasped at such a thing.

"And as for the magic thing, we refer to them as 'types'. A Pokémon can either of one or two types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. They're 18 types in all: Normal, Fire, Water, Grass, Electric, Rock, Ground, Bug, Poison, Flying, Fighting, Ice, Psychic, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel and Fairy."

"Eighteen?! Here they're only four types of magic!" Sumia exclaimed in awe as she started to pet Midnight. "So what type is Midnight?"

"She's a Dark type. Meaning she can be strong against Ghost and Psychic type Pokémon but weak against Bug, Fighting and Fairy types. Pokémon trainers like myself should know this when Pokémon engage in battling, which is a popular sport from where I'm from." Ryo explained further feeling more confident.

Frederick was shocked at what she just said "Battle?"

Sumia was the same way. Being an animal lover she was worried about a cute little fox forced to fight.

"…Don't they get hurt with this sport?" Chrom asked practically reading her thoughts.

Ryo suddenly grew nervous again. "Well… yes…" She then took a deep breath. "I'm not gonna lie to you, they are people who take it too far but Pokémon are incredibly intelligent. If you're not a competent enough trainer, they'll stop listening to you or worse, turn on you. They don't mind battling anyway, even wild Pokémon do it, but it's all about mutual trust if you're training one."

"I see… It is like a horse and its rider." Frederick compared with Midnight nodding at the explanation. The Shepherd's in turn with amazed at how smart the Pokémon can be, at the point of understanding human speech. Even fully trained animals couldn't compare. "Do you engage in battles often?"

"I'll battle if you ask me to. But since I'm a Pokémon Watcher, I prefer to study them. Which reminds me…" She answered as she took out a red rectangle from her jacket.

"What's that thing?" Vaike asked looking at the unfamiliar object.

"It's a Pokedex it's like an encyclopedia that have brief information on the Pokémon I've encountered. All trainers have these. Let me show you how it works…"

She then set Midnight down, opened the Pokedex and pointed it at her.

 _ **Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokémon. A Dark-Type. As an attempt to fool opponents it disguises itself as people and Pokémon. This Pokémon is native to the Unova region.**_

All those who weren't there for Ryo's first explanation jumped at the talking box. Midnight giggled at their expense and decided to prove the Pokedex right by jumping up in a somersault, surrounded by a pink light. When the light faded instead of little black fox what appeared was… Lissa!

Everyone gasped at the Lissa doppelganger. Especially the real Lissa who couldn't stop gawking.

"Wow!"

"The hell…"

"Gods…"

"Whoa, no way… you look just like me!" She exclaimed until something caught her eye. "Except for maybe this…" Lissa turned her double around to show that she had a furry black tail sticking out of her rear (which freaked everybody out).

"Yeah… that's the glitch. When Zoruas turn into people, their tails are don't hide." Ryo sighed.

"Can you talk when you're like this?" Lissa asked Midnight, who shook her head in response. "Oh."

Midnight the patted Lissa's head with a smile and then did another glowing somersault to turn herself back into a Zorua.

"Wanna see the rest of my Pokémon?" Ryo spoke up.

"You have more of them with you?" Sumia said with her eyes lighting up.

"Yeah. Trainers can have lots of Pokémon under their ownership but can only carry around six."

"How many do ya have?" Sully decided to ask.

"…Six." Ryo sheepishly answered. "Like I said. I'm not a competitive trainer. But let's go outside to introduce you to them. Two of them are pretty big."

So everyone went out to the field where the Shepherds train and Ryo took out her five Pokéballs from her belt.

"Come on out team!" She called out as she threw them in the air and the balls opened up to reveal blobs of light, revealing Riptide, Jeb and four new Pokémon. There was a short pink blob with a dog-like face with its tongue hanging out from the side, a white floating creature that looked like it was wearing a mask over its violet face and a white and green humanoid with pointed elbows and a disk like hip.

After giving a brief explanation on Pokéballs she introduced the rest of her team. "Shepherds. This is Riptide…"

"Carra!" Grunted Riptide.

"Jeb…"

"Gooo!" Brayed Jeb.

"Sugar…"

"Slurpuff!" Squeaked the blob.

"Yuki…"

"Froslass…" Bowed the white creature.

"And finally Levi."

"Gallade!" Announced the humanoid.

Chrom stepped in front of the group and bowed politely to them. "A pleasure to meet all of you."

Ryo then took out her Pokedex again and pointed them at her Pokémon for them to learn what they are. Starting with Riptide and making her way down.

 _ **Carracosta, the Prototurtle Pokémon. A Water/Rock type. It could knock out a foe with a slap from one of its developed from appendages and chew it up, shell or bones and all. This Pokémon is native to the Unova region.**_

 _ **Gogoat, the Mount Pokémon. A Grass type. They inhabit mountainous regions. The leader of the herd is decided by a battle of clashing horns. This Pokémon is native to the Kalos region.**_

 _ **Slurpuff, the Meringue Pokémon. A Fairy type. Its sense of smell is 100 million times better than a human's, so even the faintest scent tells it about everything in the area. It's like it can see with its nose! This Pokémon is native to the Kalos region.**_

 _ **Froslass, the Snow Land Pokémon. A Ice/Ghost type. It freezes its prey by blowing -60 degree Fahrenheit breath. It is said to secretly display its prey. This Pokémon is native to the Sinnoh region.**_

 _ **Gallade, the Blade Pokémon. A Psychic/ Fighting type. A master of courtesy and swordsmanship, it fights using extended elbow blades. This Pokémon is native to the Sinnoh region.**_

The Shepherds all gathered around certain Pokémon to get a better look at them. Like Vaike who was impressed Riptide's tough façade and Virion who liked Yuki's appearance.

"My my… you sure do have a lovely blend of beauty and mystery!" Virion complemented the Pokémon.

"Froslass." Yuki said gratefully.

Sumia who was petting Jeb softly when he looked nervous with the amount of new people.

"It's ok… You can calm down… We won't hurt you." Sumia cooed the Gogoat softly and he was starting to calm down.

Ryo smiled at what Sumia did "Wow… Jeb's usually really shy around new people. How'd you do it?"

"Oh… I guess I'm just good with animals is all…"

As that was going on, Lissa bent down to look at Sugar. "Awww! You so cute~!"

"Sluuur~!" Sugar loved the complement and licked her face; making Lissa giggle. But then she got a whiff of candy so Sugar immediately went after a small sack at Lissa's side and ate it contents!"

"Hey!" The cleric scolded indignantly.

"Sugar! Heel! Bad Slurpuff!" Ryo scolded and took away the sack but it was already empty. "I'm so sorry! Sugar loves food a little too much!"

"*Sigh* I guess its fine… I can always get more… maybe next time I'll get extra."

Meanwhile Levi was looking around Chrom; more specifically his sword.

"Is something the matter?" Chrom asked the Gallade, still feeling a little weird talking to a "pet" like it's a person.

"Lade." Levi said pointing at his sword.

"What? The Falchion?"

"If I were to guess…" Ryo said getting his attention. "You see… Levi is just learning how to use his built in swords. I think he's asking, if you have time, to battle him to help him learn. If you don't mind."

Levi nodded shyly at his trainers answer. Chrom was a bit surprised by this, but smiled all the same.

"Well Levi, I'd be happy too. But do not expect me to be an easy opponent!"

"Gallade!" Levi cheered.

Ryo couldn't help but chuckle at her young Gallade's enthusiasm. She looked around the field to see these people interact with her Pokémon, even though they found them new and strange.

She then felt something pat her on the head, turns out it was Midnight perched there.

"Say Midnight… What do you think of these Shepherd folks?"

Midnight responded with a few small barks.

"Yeah… they're pretty cool. Chrom was kind enough to let us stick with them, so let's help anyway we can."

 **Well here's the belated chapter! I'll try to get them out anyway I can! By the way let me tell ya something, before I started this story Ryo's gone through so many design changes, name changes and team changes that it's not even funny; in fact it was painful! The woes of the creative process but I liked what I decided to go with in the end.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Because of that long time I hadn't updated I wanted to get started on this chapter right away! Hope you like it! Oh by the way, a couple things I wanna clear up: If you read my Smash story "Meeting a Legend" (which you totally should!) please not that this takes place in a separate canon form that (Robin being different genders is proof of this) and also the Pokémon attack will be how they looked in the anime recently, to give you a better idea of what they look like.**

The next day, the Shepherds gathered in a grassy field. After Chrom finished roll call, they were ready to head to Regna Ferox.

"Is everyone ready? We've a long march ahead." Chrom said.

They were about to leave until a voice frantically called out for them "W-wait for me!"

Everyone turned to see a man with messy brown hair and green armor heading towards them.

"Stahl?" Said Chrom as Stahl tried to catch his breath.

"Why am I the last to hear about this expedition to Ferox?"

"Huh? But Vaike was supposed to…" Lissa's face then turned into a scowl as she turned to Vaike. "Vaike! Did you forget to tell Stahl about our mission?!"

"The Vaike never forgets! …I just don't always remember is all…"

"Dude, you just defined forgetting." Ryo commented dryly.

Lissa just face palmed at the fighter "Ugh… I swear you'd forget your own name if you weren't constantly saying it yourself! Speaking of which, are you sure you remembered your axe this time?"

Vaike just huffed indignantly "Hey! That was one time! Okay, twice, but training sessions don't count! Anyway, I got it right here! Teach is loaded and ready for action! Glad to have you along, Stahl old buddy."

"That makes one of us. I was in such a hurry, I had to miss breakfast! There were muffins and cakes and… Well, I'll tell you all about it when we march…" Stahl whined a bit.

"You are Stahl, correct?" Robin asked deciding to change the subject.

"Oh yes. Robin, Ryo, this is Stahl, one of our finest." Chrom introduced.

"Nice to meet you two. Miriel told me we were getting two new Shepherds. Er, Miriel is one of our mages, she be with us shortly."

"Alright since there is nothing else, let's get going." Said Chrom and with that they were on their way.

 **Later…**

The Shepherds proceeded on heir march to Regna Ferox. The trip was fairly uneventful, with Ryo and Midnight hitching a ride on the convoy carriage where the Shepherds keep their extra supplies for the road. She was occasionally looking around her seeing if there really was any wild Pokémon like Chrom said, but so far no luck.

Meanwhile Midnight was apparently making small talk with the horses that were pulling the convoy, if the scattered barks and neighing were anything to go by.

 _Hmm… Pokémon can also communicate with normal animals too? I've read about it but I never thought I'd see it…_

"Hey Ryo! You alright?" Lissa asked breaking her thoughts.

"Oh hey, Lissa." Ryo acknowledged the cleric. "I'm fine… just thinking."

"About your home?"

"Kinda. I've been looking around to see if they're any more Pokémon roaming around, but not seeing any… it's a little scary." She trailed off.

"Imagine how scary it is for us too. Our people are getting a little worried that these Pokémon might be a bad sign. We're just lucky they haven't attacked anyone." Lissa said.

"While Pokémon are smarter, like any other animal if you don't bother them, they don't bother you." Ryo explained as Midnight came back to her and hopped on her lap.

Lissa then remembered something. "Hey I wanna ask you something. In the forest before Chrom and I ran into you, we think we saw a Pokémon just before the place was on fire."

"R-Really? Which one?"

"Well… it looked like some sort of cat. It had white fur, a blackish blue face, red eyes and had a weird horn on the side of its head." Describe Lissa.

Ryo took out her Pokedex and looked through it to see if anything matches her descriptions. After a minute she had a likely candidate. "Is this it?"

Lissa's eyes widened at the picture. "Yeah! That's the one!"

"What's going on?" Chrom asked he hopped in the convoy with them overhearing their conversation. He paused in surprised when he saw the picture on Ryo's Pokedex. "That's the Pokémon from the forest!"

Ryo then pressed the button so the Pokedex can give the description.

 _ **Absol, the Disaster Pokémon. A Dark Type. It appears when it senses an impending natural disaster; as a result it was mistaken as a doom bringer. This Pokémon is native to the Hoenn region.**_

Chrom and Lissa were both silent for a moment from that really heavy description. Ryo practically reading their minds decided to speak up. "Look, like the Pokedex said, they only sense disasters. Absols typically live in the mountains out of sight but when they sense something big they show themselves to people to warn them."

"So that's why it was barking at us! It was trying to keep us safe!" Lissa realized.

"But because of the timing they choose to appear people blamed them for causing disasters. As a result they were nearly hunted to extinction." Ryo continued.

Lissa thought back at it sadly "That's awful…"

Chrom cast his gaze downward. "To have noble intentions and to be shunned for them. I can only imagine…"

Ryo nodded. "Luckily when scientists realized the truth the Hoenn government immediately put a halt to the hunting, now they are pretty strict laws protecting them. Scientists and breeders alike have dedicated to protect Absols and help them repopulate, both in Hoenn and in other regions. Slowly their numbers are started to rise again." She explained as she remembered one time she spent in the Hoenn Safari Zone where they had a small Absol enclosure.

Chrom thought back to the Absol from the forest. They never saw it again after it ran off; they don't even know if it made it out alive…

"Hey Chrom! We got a problem!" Robin yelled from outside the convoy. Chrom snapped out of it and jumped out of the carriage to see what was going on.

What was happening was that right nearby a bridge there was group of those same zombies from the other night lurching around.

"Gods… have the Risen spread this far?!"

"Risen?" Robin repeated the word.

"We needed a name for this new threat, so the council decided to give them one." Frederick explained.

"Everyone! Remember what we're up against!" Chrom announced to the rest of the group.

"They'll remember _me_ once I drive my axe into their-" Vaike boasted until he grabbed thin air instead of his axe. "Wait, my axe! Where's my axe?!"

"Vaike this is no time for jokes…" Chrom groaned.

"I'm serious! I just had my axe!"

"Well stick to the rear! The battle is nigh!"

As Frederick reminded everybody about weapon strengths and weaknesses (it reminded Ryo of Pokémon type matchups), Robin looked at where the Risen were positioned to plan a strategy.

"You really should take better care of your things…" Ryo remarked to Vaike as he was still looking for his axe.

Until a woman with short red hair, wearing glasses and a witches' outfit came out of the woods dragging an iron axe behind her.

Ryo hopped out of the convoy to give the fighter a nudge. "Hey Vaike look what Miriel found!"

Vaike looked up to see. "Hey! My axe!"

The mage just sighed. "I wondered what manner of ignoramus would mislay their weapon. Now I know."

"Thanks Miriel! Er, for the axe anyway." Vaike thanked as he went on his way. Apparently the insult went over his head.

"Perhaps next time I should use a spell to fasten it to your hands… permanently." Miriel said venomously as he was out of earshot. She then turned to Ryo and her Zorua. They met the day before when Ryo was helping the Lissa stock up on vulnaries.

"Shall we be on our way to extirpate these brutes?"

"Uh… sure." Ryo said. Sure she's been around a lot of scientists in her travels, but Miriel uses big words she's never even heard of.

Then they heard a small explosion in the distance and they ran towards the rest of the Shepherds.

"What was that?!" Ryo asked in worry.

"See for yourself." Robin pointed towards the bridge.

There was a bipedal jackal with blue, black and yellow fur, trying to fight off the Risen by shooting blue energy spheres at them.

"Whoa… A Lucario!"

"Lucario?" The Shepherds repeated. Ryo opened her Pokedex again.

 _ **Lucario, the Aura Pokémon. A Fighting/Steel Type. By reading the auras of all things, it can detect what others are feeling from over half a mile away. This Pokémon is native to the Sinnoh region.**_

"Looks like it could use our help. Everyone remember your position! Chrom, you go help that Lucario!" Robin called out as Chrom nodded in agreement.

"Um… if it's ok, Robin let me join Chrom. It might see we're not enemies if it sees another trainer…" Ryo suggested.

Robin gave it some thought. "Alright. But be careful."

"Hey Midnight! Stay at the convoy with Lissa and Sumia! Blast any Risen you see!" Ryo shouted behind her. The Zorua gave a yip and a small salute to her trainer.

"Everyone! To battle!" Chrom led the charge. With Ryo by his side they made it to the Lucario.

"Levi, come on out!" Ryo threw a Pokéball into the air releasing her Gallade.

"Gallade!"

"Use Psycho Cut!"

The blue part of Levi's "helmet" started to glow purple and thrusts his hand forward to throw purple energy blades at a couple of Risen.

The Risen then turned their attention away from the Lucario and ran towards them.

Ryo got scared at first but somehow managed to compose herself. "Levi use Slash!"

"Lade!" He exclaimed as he extended his elbow blades and countered some axe wielding Risen, but do to inexperience he was having trouble. Seeing this Chrom joined in and killed the Risen dead.

"Ga…" Levi sighed, disappointed in himself.

Somehow knowing what that meant, Chrom was going to comfort Levi but…

"I thank you for aiding me against these creatures, but looks like your Gallade need more training with his species' swordsmanship." The Lucario spoke with a male voice (without moving his mouth).

"Did you just talk?!" Chrom exclaimed in surprise. From what Ryo told them Pokémon were unable to say anything but their own species name and a few other noises.

"Yes. Quite well."

"I've heard that really experienced Lucario are able to speak telepathically, but I never thought I'd see it…" Ryo said in equal awe.

"As much as I would like to explain your questions, we have more pressing matters." Lucario said motioning more Risen coming towards them.

"Bone Rush!" Lucario summoned a large bone made out of energy. And used it as staff to disarm a Risen as Levi blasted it with Psycho Cut and Chrom stabbed it into dust.

"Not bad…" The Aura Pokémon complemented the prince.

"Thanks, you too."

After a good while of battling the Risen, they were finally down to the last one.

"Aura Sphere!" Lucario blasted the last Risen to smoke with his powerful attack. Right then Lissa and Sumia came with the convoy to hand out vulnaries to the group (with Lissa using her healing staff if necessary).

"Finally! And good riddance! But if their appearing this far up the Northroad…" Chrom stated with dread.

"…Then no road is safe." Frederick finished. "We must proceed with caution."

As everyone started to adjust themselves and Ryo returned Levi to his ball, Lissa started healing the Lucario. "Thank you miss."

"Wow! You talk!"

The Lucario just sighed. "I feel like I'm going to hear this a lot."

"Sorry Lucario. It's just… not every day you meet a talking Pokémon. Especially since these guys never seen Pokémon." Ryo apologized as Midnight sniffed the new arrival curiously.

"Understandable. But my name is Sibuna." The Lucario corrected.

"You have a nickname?" Ryo questioned. "Does that mean you have a trainer?"

Sibuna's expression suddenly turned solemn. "I… used to."

Deciding that they shouldn't press further, Chrom decided to change the subject. "Well Sibuna, I'm glad you're alright. But how did you end up in this situation?"

"I've been near this road for a few days now. As I was resting I noticed a large creature flying over my head. Both it and its mount looked injured; when I decided to investigate I got attacked by those ghastly creatures."

"Interesting… maybe we'll see what it was further down the road." Chrom mused.

"Once again I thank you for your assistance." Sibuna suddenly bowed to the group. "Please allow me to join your group."

Frederick's eyes narrowed at the Lucario. "Why are you so eager to join our forces?"

"I sense your skepticism sir. But bear with me, I am a stranger in a unfamiliar land, as much experience with battle I have under my arm, I fear it won't be enough with unfamiliar enemies; I am eager to learn. If I am a burden I'll leave anytime."

Before Frederick could say anything Chrom stepped forward. "Well I don't believe you could ever be a burden. We could always use an experienced fighter like you. But I'll warn you now like I've warned Ryo that there will be blood spilled by our hands if you join us."

Sibuna nodded to him. "I am not one to shy away from bloodshed. I… have taken lives before."

"Very well. Shepherds! We resume our way to Ferox!"

As everyone marched away from the Northroad, unbeknownst to everyone Ryo started to look a little pale.

 **Well here's the first Pokémon unit joining the Shepherds! Hope you like him and by the way it's entirely possible for the telepathy to happen because several Pokedex entries support this.**

 **Like what you see? Anything You wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I wanted to get this chapter out earlier but it took longer than I thought. Anyway I liked how this chapter turned out, especially the length. Hopefully I'll get started on the next chapter as we speak. Enjoy!**

The Shepherds were walking for a long time on their way to Regna Ferox. On their way the noticed a human woman's body in some bushes; they believed it the human Sibuna saw injured with her mount earlier (though the armor looked slightly foreign, there was no doubt she was a Pegasus Knight), but when he checked for her pulse, she was already dead. Believing she deserved a proper burial, they used some shovels from the convoy to dig her grave.

Chrom put his hand on Sibuna's shoulder once they finished burying her. "Since you were the one who noticed her in the first place, would you like to offer a prayer?"

Sibuna simply nodded in response as he closed his eyes and clasped his paws together. "Lord Arceus, though her home may not be your own, I hope that this poor woman's soul finds peace and travels safely in your embrace. Amen."

"Amen." Everyone else chorused. Even though the Shepherds were unfamiliar with this prayer, they assumed it was from their world.

"…Alright everyone let's resume our march." Chrom said after the moment of silence. The others nodded as they resumed their way. Some rode on the convoy, others walked or rode on their mounts and Ryo decided to ride Jeb so he could get some exercise. From the convoy Sumia couldn't but notice Ryo looking… scared.

 **Later…**

"Hey Sibuna… if you don't mind my asking… who's this 'Lord Arceus' from your prayer?" Sumia decided to ask the Lucario a half-hour later since their departure to break the awkward silence. The others around her decided to listen in for curiosity.

"Yeah, is he your god?" Lissa added.

"Yes, Arceus is the Alpha Pokémon. The Creator of our world and the Pokémon in it." Sibuna explained.

"Whoa… really?" Lissa said in awe.

"Yeah." Ryo spoke up as she urged Jeb closer to the convoy. Midnight popped out of his saddlebag with a brown hardcover book in her mouth and passed it to her trainer. Ryo opened her book to a mosaic painting of Arceus surrounded his eighteen Plates. ***1**

"Arceus is said to be a Normal Type but has the power to become any other type he chooses. Legend says it was born from an egg from when there was nothing. It's also said that, rarely, he visits a temple known as Spear Pillar on top of Mt. Coronet, if you play a mystical item known as the Azure Flute, or so the legend goes…" Ryo rambled on the subject.

"Incredible… Where is this Mt. Coronet?" Robin asked as she walked outside the convoy.

"It's the tallest mountain in the Sinnoh Region. Because some of the most important legends in my world come from that mountain alone, it is considered a holy land." Ryo answered.

"Wow Ryo! You sure know a lot about this stuff." Kellam complemented the Pokémon Watcher, though no one else seemed to hear him.

"Wow Ryo! You sure know a lot about this stuff." Sumia repeated what he said, ignoring Kellam sighing in defeat.

Ryo blushed slightly, not being used to praise. "Well, ever since I was little I've always loved legends and lore. Back in Johto I lived Ecruteak City for a long time and that place is also considered holy ground because of the Burned Tower and the Tin Tower. Remember my sketchbook? A good chunk of my sketches are of historical landmarks. It's been my life's dream to meet at least _one_ Legendary Pokémon."

Sully, riding her horse beside her, chuckled at Ryo's dreamy expression. "That's a pretty big dream ya got there kid; I like that!" She praised as she gave Ryo a rough pat on the back.

"T-Thanks…" Ryo winced. _Ow…_

Then convoy suddenly stopped and Robin could be heard from outside. "Well what do we have here?"

Lissa hopped out to see what was going on. "Hey is that what I think it is?"

Ryo motioned Jeb to stop to get off of him. When she went over to Lissa, Robin and Chrom she saw a pegasus with a cloaked in a blue cloth and wearing plate armor near its head. When they got a better look, they saw it had several injuries on its body. It didn't take long to piece together that this pegasus belonged to the woman they buried.

"Let's see here…" Chrom tried to approach the pegasus, which turned out to be a bad idea when it reared its hind legs back with a neigh!

"Whoa! Down girl! Easy there!" Chrom exclaimed in shock

"Captain, one moment please!" Sumia said as she went over to them… before tripping again.

Chrom bent down some and helped her back up "Sumia! Are you alright? … Those boots of yours again?"

"No! I mean yes! I mean- *Sigh*" Sumia stuttered in frustration.

"Well come no closer; this beast is crazed!"

But Sumia didn't seem scared, in fact she looked calm. "It's okay, Captain. I can handle this…"

Sumia looked at the pegasus in the eyes and slowly made her way towards it. "Shhh… Easy now, girl. I won't hurt you…"

The winged horse surprisingly didn't react and remained docile towards her as Sumia gently rubbed it's head. The others were amazed at what they saw, except for Ryo who wasn't surprised after the way she comforted Jeb.

"How did she calm it so quickly?" Robin questioned.

"That's incredible Sumia!" Lissa exclaimed.

Chrom couldn't help but smile at what he saw. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Oh, it's nothing, really. I just have a way with animals, I guess." Sumia said.

"I should say so!" Chrom agreed.

"You all go on ahead. I'll dress her wounds and catch up as soon as we're able."

"We can make time to wait for you."

Sumia shook her head. "Thank you, Captain but I can manage. Every moment is precious when all of Ylisse is in danger."

"Um… Chrom?" Ryo spoke up shyly as he turned to her with a bag of some medical supplies from the convoy. "Maybe I can stay with her? With the two of us together we'll help the pegasus quicker. Also, I kinda want to learn more about 'em."

"Is that alright with you Sumia?" Chrom asked.

"Sure. I don't mind."

The Prince nodded at the terms. "Right, then. Be safe you two."

"As you command, sir." Sumia replied.

After she and Ryo watched the Shepherds continue along the road, Jeb and Midnight went over to the pegasus to talk to her.

"You think you can help me with the bandages Ryo?" Sumia asked as she took them out.

"Sure. My brother's a Pokémon Doctor, so he taught me how to dress a wound in case I don't have any Potions." Ryo answered as she held one end of the strip.

"Potions?"

To answer her question Ryo quickly pulled out a Super Potion from her backpack. "Trainers use these to heal Pokémon while on the road. They do nothing to humans though and I'm kinda afraid to use it on the pegasus."

"That's ok. Better safe than sorry, right?"

As they started to wrap the bandages around the pegasus' legs, Sumia gave Ryo some glances. After a couple minutes she couldn't help it anymore.

"Are you afraid?"

"Huh?"

"You're far from home and being dropped in the middle of unfamiliar and dangerous land. I noticed you looked pale when Captain gave Sibuna the warning about how we may… you know." Sumia explained.

Ryo sighed a bit. "A Pokémon journey's already dangerous as is. For generations people started their journey at age ten but recent years they rose the age to fourteen. Fifteen in other regions. So I'm not naïve to danger but when I saw that woman's body… I guess that reality hit me in the face even more."

"If you want when we get back to Ylisse, Captain will let you stay behind at the barracks or maybe the castle so you won't have to worry." Sumia said but Ryo shook her head.

"I'm not gonna find out how I got here by laying around aren't I? Besides you guys have been really nice and I wanna return the favor somehow." Ryo said with a small smile which Sumia returned.

 _You're really brave Ryo… so I'm gonna be brave too._

 **Meanwhile…**

At the Longfort, the fortress that stretches along the border between Regna Ferox and Ylisse, right beside the mobilizing lance wielding soldiers stood a hooded woman watching the Shepherds approach from above. She wore a long, brown hooded cloak over a beige turtle neck (the collar she uses to cover her face from the mouth down) with metal straps around her stomach, black boots and her hands wrapped in bandages as if they were fingerless gloves. Long strands of brown hair from both sides of her head flowed in the chilly breeze

She gave the incoming visitors a dark, untrusting glare until she felt a hand on her shoulder by a woman in bulky armor and short blond hair.

"I know that that look of yours Shani. What do you see down their?" The woman asked looking into Shani's dark grey eyes.

"We have a large party of several units Commander Raimi. I don't like it one bit…" Shani practically growled clutching the Killing Edge at her waist.

"Me neither. I'm mobilizing the troops as we speak, so let's pay our 'guests' a visit shall we?" Raimi said as she motioned the myrmidon to the edge. When the group below got closer to the Longfort, Shani's already stern expression turned even angrier when she saw what the white haired woman in pigtails wore.

"I knew it! One of them has a Grimleal cloak! They must be Plegians!" Shani exclaimed looking ready to jump of the Longfort and stab them already. Knowing Shani's… reputation, Raimi put an arm out in front of her.

"Let me handle this." Raimi said as she motioned more of her men closer. "Halt! Who goes there?!"

At the bottom of the fortress Chrom shouted back. "In the name of House Ylisse, I seek audience with the khans!"

"Not another step, my bold lad! I've lancers at the ready!" Raimi warned.

"Hold, milady! We are not your enemy! Exalt Emmeryn herself sent us to discuss matters of mutual interest!" Frederick yelled.

"My only interest is keeping you out of Regna Ferox, brigand!"

"B-Brigand? Now see here-" Frederick tried to reason but Raimi interrupted.

"You think you think you are the first 'Ylisseans' to try and cross our border? I have the authority to fell such imposters where they stand."

"And one of you is wearing a Grimleal cloak! I can't tell if you are very arrogant or very stupid!" Shouted Shani; looking at Robin as if she was a demon.

"How dare you! You are in the presence of Prince Chrom, the exalt's own blood!"

"Ha! Yes, indeed- and I'm the queen of Valm! You do realize impersonating royalty is a capital offense, yes? Mmm…perhaps we should settle this the Feroxi way. You claim to be the prince of Ylisse? Then prove it on the battlefield!"

Chrom rubbed his temples in irritation. "Rgh, Emmeryn wouldn't like this at all… Please, good lady! If you'd just listen-"

"I've heard quite enough! Attack!"

Raimi gave the order to her soldiers to let loose their spears right towards Chrom. Right when he was about to be skewered, a pegasus swooped down towards him and it's rider grabbed him before the spears made contact.

As Chrom cringed at what could've happened below, he finally realized who his savior was.

"Sumia…"

"Better hold on tight Captain. Could get bumpy." Sumia said in a surprisingly serious tone.

"Uh… Right." Chrom responded still somewhat in a stupor.

Sumia giggled and looked behind her. "You'll be fine."

Chrom didn't know what it was, but seeing this new side of Sumia made his heart flutter a little, something he wasn't aware of before, until his focus came back to the forefront when he saw the Feroxi guard getting ready to attack again.

"Sumia!"

"Right!"

Sumia turned her pegasus around to make a landing where the others waited for them .

"Milord!"

"Chrom!"

Both Lissa and Frederick ran towards the prince as he and Sumia got off of the pegasus and the other Shepherds noticed Ryo coming towards them riding on Jeb.

"I'm fine. I have to thank Sumia for saving my life." Chrom reassured.

"I suppose you'll be serving as a Pegasus Knight, Sumia?" Frederick asked.

Sumia nodded. "Yes, I will. I am ready to fight with the others now."

"Sumia, thank you so much!" Lissa thanked as she pulled the new Pegasus Knight into a hug.

"I'm just relieved we made it in time."

"Yeah me too. But what the heck is going on here?!" Ryo exclaimed in shock that they were getting attack in the first place.

"I don't know why but these guards seemed to believe we're brigands." Chrom briefly explained situation.

"What?! Why?!"

"We don't know. All their saying is to prove it by fighting them."

"And I think we all had best focus on the situation at hand!" Frederick interrupted.

"Chrom, they're coming!" Warned Robin as the Feroxi soldiers made their way out of the fortress doors.

"All right. The Feroxi way it is!" Chrom announced so the Shepherd's can engage in combat.

Robin gave out the plan on how to approach; since the Feroxi were splitting their forces they should too and once they see an opening head straight for the Commander. They were also giving the order to incapacitate but not kill (if they could convince them somehow, they don't want to start with a bad note).

"Ryo, can any of your Pokémon help as well?" Robin asked the Pokémon Watcher.

"Guys?" Ryo asked her Gogoat and Zorua, who gave nods in confirmation. "Ok, and I think I know who else could help." She tossed another Pokéball in the air to release Yuki.

"Froslass..."

"Hey Yuki, I need you help out the Shepherds who are going west while the rest of us head east. Slow them down as much as you can but don't kill them, got it?"

"Lass." Yuki bowed at the commands.

As she and one half of the Shepherds went towards the west gate, Ryo, Robin and the other half went towards the east gate as the Feroxi troops started to pour out of the gate: including one feral looking myrmidon.

The battle raged forth fairly quickly from both sides for two reasons: A) the Feroxi weren't expecting such an organized troop and B) the Pokémon were unknown factors.

Sibuna was going through troops like a knife through butter disarming them with Bone Rush and immobilizing them with Force Palm. Yuki remained behind scenes hidden with her Snow Cloak ability until someone was in trouble; using Blizzard to slow them down. And when the soldiers try to attack back they were shocked to not only have their attacks not affect her but go THROUGH her!

Meanwhile on the other side as Robin gave commands to her soldiers, she was impressed with how Ryo commanded her Pokémon. Midnight using Fury Swipes to distract the Feroxi to give someone an opening, while Jeb was keeping other soldiers away with Seed Bomb.

They managed to keep the Feroxi busy enough for Sumia to get Chrom and Sibuna up to Raimi. Robin was proud of her efforts but her instincts snapped her out of it as a sword was about to be driven through her skull; which she barely countered with her Thunder tome and knocked her attacker into the ground.

As she got back up Robin noticed it was the hooded individual from earlier, only now her hood was down showing her long brown hair done in a high, messy ponytail. But the tactician also noticed something else. When the other Feroxi, their expressions were fierce and determined but this woman's expression was angry and vengeful; what was more troubling was that expression was aimed towards _her_.

"Face me Grimleal coward!"

 **Meanwhile…**

"Let our battle sound out the truth in your words!" Raimi proclaimed as she raised her Javelin and charged for Chrom.

"Bone Rush!"

Raimi found her attacked blocked by a large bone staff and her expression changed into slight fear when she saw the Lucario wielding it. There strength was evenly matched as the both took a step back

"What the hell?" She whispered to herself about the unknown creature until Chrom came charging towards her himself. The two of them parried for a bit, with Sumia and Sibuna occasionally stepping. Raimi put up a good fight against all three of them, but she was ultimately defeated.

"Then your claims were… true…" She said out of breath. At the corner of her eye she noticed Chrom and Sibuna coming towards her with a vulnerary.

"Take this. You'll need your strength." Sibuna said as he gave it to her as Chrom helped her back on her feet. While Raimi was puzzled on how this creature spoke without moving his mouth she took the vulnerary anyway to heal her wounds.

Below the fortress Robin and Shani were still crossing swords. Robin also realized that the myrmidon had no interest in the other Shepherds, just her. But as they continued to spar she also realized that while she had good sword skills her opponent was definitely superior, so she occasionally used her tomes to even they playing field.

Somehow that only made her angrier and the last spell Robin let loose, she didn't even dodge; she just ran right for it tackle Robin into the ground. Her combined strength temporary electrically charged body caused Robin to get flustered and dropped her tome, when she tried to reach Shani kicked it out of the way and stepped on her arm.

"Now go back to hell where you belong!" Shani was about to slice her throat.

"Jeb use Vine Whip!"

Suddenly a pair of vines wrapped around her arm that was holding her sword. Shani turned around to see this oddly clothed girl with a large goat from where the vines came from, allowing Robin to get her tome and get away. While she wanted to question this sight her rage came first.

"Let me go!"

"Why? So you can stab my friend? Not a chance." Ryo retorted as Midnight gave a bark in agreement.

"Thanks Ryo…" Robin thanked as she charged her tome.

"Enough! Everyone stop!"

Everyone halted when they saw Raimi coming over with Chrom, Sumia and Sibuna.

"Commander what are you doing?! Let me at her!" Shani exclaimed.

"Shani it appears we are mistaken. These are the Ylissean forces." Raimi said.

"Then why does this one-" She shot a look at Robin. "- have a Grimleal robe!"

"The prince explained everything to me. She may where their robe but she's not affiliated with. They found her in a field with no memories of her past."

Ryo was surprised by the explanation, while Shani scoffed at it. "You can't be serious!"

"Stand down Shani. That's an order!" Raimi said sternly, only for Shani to growl in response as she turned to Chrom.

"A thousand apologies, Prince Chrom. I truly took you for brigand imposters." Raimi bowed in remorse. "But no frauds could ever wage a battle as you have! I will send word of your arrival to the capital and escort you there personally."

"That would be most appreciated, thank you." Chrom replied.

Raimi turned away to get soldier who didn't participate in battle to give the message, but not before turning back to them. "And I also apologize on Shani's behalf. Sometimes she can be a bit _too_ driven. You can call off your pet now."

It took Ryo a moment to realize she meant her. "Oh! Jeb you can let go now!"

"Gooo…" Jeb brayed nervously as he retracted his vines from Shani's arm.

"Hmphh…" Was all the myrmidon had to say.

"Amazing. Her whole demeanor changed…" Robin commented on Raimi as she left.

"In Ferox, strength speaks louder than words." Frederick explained. "I should have known better than to overestimate the value of diplomacy here…"

"So can we get going Chrom?" Lissa asked.

"Yeah I'm freezing my butt off!" Ryo added, the cold starting to get to her. Midnight snickered at the comment while Yuki (who came back to her earlier) rolled her eyes, not seeing what the big deal was.

"Yes it's not getting any warmer." Chrom agreed.

As everyone turned to get through the gates and Ryo returned her Pokémon, except Midnight, she accidently crossed paths with Shani.

"Uh… hi?" She said trying to be friendly but Shani just glared at her and kept walking. Right up to Robin. Making Ryo feel really nervous for the tactician sake.

"Listen you…" Shani hissed at Robin. If looks could kill she'd be dead ten times over. "Raimi may have saved your ass now but if you do anything so much as _breathe_ the wrong way, I'll slit your throat myself. Do I make myself clear?"

Robin gulped at her warning. "Crystal."

"Good."

Everyone within earshot of the warning was flabbergasted by Shani's attitude as she stomped away.

"And here I thought Frederick was paranoid." Lissa commented once she was sure Shani wouldn't hear her as the continued inside again.

Sibuna closed his eyes for a moment and the aura sensors on the back of his head lifted up. Feeling curious Chrom walked up to the Aura Pokémon. "Is something wrong Sibuna?"

"I'm reading her aura. It's surrounded by anger but underneath that rage is a deep sadness, like she's depressed. I understand it's hard to see now but I'd say give her the benefit of the doubt." Sibuna said as he opened his eyes again.

"And you know all this…?" Chrom asked, even more curious about this "aura" stuff.

"I'm a Lucario. It's one of the things we do best." He replied in a surprisingly smug tone.

As the Shepherds disappeared into the Longfort, no one noticed that a certain Absol was watching them from afar. He didn't join the battle because it wasn't his place, besides they already handled it themselves. He was only their waiting for a certain masked man to come back out. ***2**

 ***1 Did anyone else find it odd that they found an already armored pegasus with no rider? I thought I'd make a little scene to explain that. Plus I made up the prayer on the spot, what do you think?**

 ***2 In case anyone asks: Yes that is the Absol from Chapter 1.**

 **Here we have the introduction on my first Fire Emblem OC Shani. Hopefully she didn't come off as unlikeable but like Sibuna said, she has a legit reason for her behavior, but that would be explained thoroughly later on. So far I like this chapter but I'm not too good at writing fight scenes, that's why I shaped them to fit how you would imagine them, except for a few key moments.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know!**

 **See ya! Merry Late Christmas (or whatever you celebrate) and Happy New Year!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I got another long chapter for ya! By the way if you want a better idea of what Shani looks like think Kido from Mekaku City Actors except with different colors and medieval-esque clothing. I don't have much to say except, I hope you like it!**

Inside the walls of the Feroxi Palace floated a mysterious figure, looking around the throne room now that no one was present. It looked like a small sheathed sword, with a single blue eye near the hilt and a long blue cloth that looked like it ended with a hand.

 _Interesting… it's much more… rustic, than Parfum Palace. I think I like it._ The sword creature thought simply before hearing the throne room doors open. _Uh oh, time to go._

The sword hid itself behind a tapestry as Raimi and Shani led the Shepherds into the throne room.

"Prince Chrom, please wait here while I summon the khan." Raimi said to them.

"Of course." Chrom replied as Raimi bowed and turned away. But not before turning to Shani.

"And I expect you to behave…" Raimi whispered sternly at the myrmidon, who only gave her a look that said 'no promises'.

"The khan is away?" Robin asked Chrom while trying to be as far away from Shani as possible.

"Out training, I'd wager. The khans of Ferox prefer battle to politics. Or rather, battle IS their politics." He replied.

"A warrior ruler, eh? I can picture him now… A giant of a man with unparalleled thew, his broad chest covered in hair…" She chuckled at the weird mental image.

"Am I now? …Please, do go on!" a woman's voice rang through the hall.

"Huh?" Robin gaped to see a woman with tanned skin with blonde hair tied in a short ponytail, wearing white and maroon armor coming towards them.

"Wow Robin, you were WAY off!" Ryo teased the tactician, who gave her a light punch in the shoulder.

"You're the-! Er, that is to say… The khan, I presume?" Chrom stuttered before he regained composure.

"One of them, yes… The East-Khan. My name is Flavia." The newly named Flavia introduced herself. "I apologize for the troubles at the border, Prince Chrom. You are welcome in Regna Ferox."

"Thank you, but I'm confident we can put that misunderstanding behind us. Is it true bandits posing as Ylisseans have been ransacking your border villages?"

"Yes. Those Plegian dogs!" Flavia growled, while noticing Shani's dark look. "We found documents proving as much on the corpse of one their captains. Plegia must see some benefit in raising tensions between your kingdom and ours."

"Damn them!" Chrom cursed but realized how rude that came off. "I … Forgive me, Your Grace. That was… indelicately put."

But Flavia just gave a hearty laugh. "Ha! Damn them and damn them delicacy! Here in Ferox we appreciate plain speech."

"In that case, you should have a word with your damn border guards…"

"Now that's Feroxi diplomacy! Yes, I like you already. I know why you have come, Prince. But regrettably, I cannot provide any Feroxi troops for Ylisse."

"What?! Why not?!" Lissa exclaimed in disbelief.

"I lack the authority." Flavia answered.

"Forgive me, but I don't understand. Aren't you the khan? Chrom questioned.

"As I said, I am _one_ of the khans." She answered with emphasis. "In Ferox, the khans of east and west hold a tournament every few years. The victor acquires total sovereignty over both kingdoms. And that means they have the final say when it comes to forging alliances. The West-Khan won the last tournament, you see, and so…"

"So we are to receive no aid at all?" Chrom asked in disappointment.

"Not if you always give up so easily!" Flavia suddenly smiled. "The next tournament is nigh, you see and I am in need of champions."

Chrom raised a brow "What does that have to with us?"

"The captain of my border guard informs me that your Shepherds are quite capable. Perhaps you would consider representing the East in the upcoming tournament? If you win and I become ruling khan, I will grant you alliance."

"I would have assumed Ylisseans had no place in Feroxi traditions."

"On the contrary. The khans themselves do not fight. They choose champions to represent them. otherwise our land would be rife with blood feuds and dead khans! We don't involve comrades or kin for the same reason. Over time, it was decided the tournament should be fought by outsiders. Although the outsiders have never included foreign loyalty… that I know of! Ha! Regardless, it is your choice to make."

The Prince already made his decision. "There is no choice, East-Khan. My people are desperate. We face not only Plegia's constant attacks, but now the added threat of the Risen. If fighting for you is the quickest way to alliance, then we will take up our steel."

Flavia smiled at his answer. "Well spoken again. I look forward to seeing if you're equally skilled with the blade! But before we do can I ask something?"

"Yes… What is it?"

All Flavia did was walk to Sibuna. "What _exactly_ are you? I've heard from Raimi that the Shepherds had help from the unusual looking animals. Also they seem to like the ones we have been spotting for the past couple days."

That last statement caught Ryo's attention. "Wait a minute, you've been seeing Pokémon around here too?!"

"Pokémon?"

Ryo suddenly squeaked and looked down when the Khan turned to her so Sibuna decided to speak for her. "Yes, Pokémon like myself, are animals with special abilities. We come from a far away land, where we are common part of everyday life."

Flavia was surprised when the creature spoke, but was interested with the information. Even Shani's curiosity was slightly peaked.

"And they somehow found their way our land and apparently yours as well." Chrom continued for him. "Ryo here is from the Pokémon's homeland and is our new expert on them, according to her they are just as intelligent as humans but most don't mind being domesticated."

"Is this true girl?" Flavia questioned Ryo narrowing her eyes.

"Y-Yes!" Ryo responded a little quicker than she liked. "I've been around Pokémon my whole life! And studied them just as long!"

"And I have lived with around humans just as long Your Grace; I can vouch for her words as well."

"Animals with magic…" Flavia said digesting the information. "That people keep as ordinary pets… Normally I'd say you'd taken one too many hits to the noggin, but judging from the girl's odd looking clothing and the looks your face I can tell you're not lying."

The Pokémon Watcher breathed a sigh of relief, but was slightly annoyed at the comment on her clothing. Her steam punk style clothing already gave her some stares back home.

"Maybe when we're done with the tournament you can tell me about these 'Pokémon' creatures. Sound good?"

Ryo nodded her head slightly, a little surprised that she accepted the information so easily. "Y-Yes ma'am!"

"But want my advice? Don't be afraid to speak up! It's not like everyone's gonna bite you!"

Ryo couldn't help but sigh again.

As Midnight (Perched on her head again) giggled at her expense, Ryo shot her Zorua an annoyed look. "You're not helping…"

Meanwhile the sword creature hiding in the tapestry, was eavesdropping on their conversation. _Hmm… now that they know about Pokémon now, I guess I don't have to keep hiding…_

 **Later…**

After a few minutes Flavia led the Shepherds (who were unknowingly followed by the sword) to the doors that led to the arena.

"These doors will take you to the arena. Prepare yourself." Flavia said as she was about to leave the arena lobby until a floating sword popped from behind a statue.

"What the-?!"

The sword just floated passed her and towards the Shepherds. It started circling them for a moment before it smiled (of sorts) with its single eye.

"Hone!" It bellowed in a happy tone. Like it was saying 'hello'.

"A floating… sword?" Frederick gawked at what was in front of him.

"Ryo… Please tell me this is another Pokémon." Lissa asked slightly weirded out.

"Yep." She responded simply as she took out her Pokedex.

 _ **Honedge, the Sword Pokémon. A Steel/Ghost Type. Apparently this Pokémon was born when a departed spirit inhabits a sword. It attaches itself to people and drinks their life force. This Pokémon is native to the Kalos region.**_

A lot of the Shepherds got spooked by that description, but Honedge was shaking its "head" frantically.

"Honedge! Hone! Hone!"

"He's saying please don't be afraid. His kind doesn't do it on purpose and it only happens when someone grabs a Honedge's hilt." Sibuna translates.

Shani raised a skeptic brow at the Lucario "You… understand what it's saying?"

"Yes, all Pokémon understand one another, regardless of species."

"Fascinating… Unlike humans, Pokémon have no language barrier. Unless when talking to human…" Miriel mused to herself as she wrote that information down.

Shani just stared at Sibuna for a moment before Flavia stepped in. "Ryo was it? What's that little doodad you got there?"

Ryo, feeling more comfortable with Flavia now, decided to reply. "It's a Pokedex. It contains brief information on Pokémon we trainers encounter."

"Interesting…" Flavia said, growing more and more interested in Pokémon.

"Edge! Edge! Honedge! Honedge!" The Sword Pokémon continued talking, knowing Sibuna would translate.

"He's saying he heard our conversation in the throne room and, if you want, to let him join our team for the tournament."

"Really?" Robin asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Honedge. Honedge."

"He wants to remember what it's like to be a knight again. He still remembers his training clear as day, but misses putting it to use."

Honedge was looking around the group expectantly.

Chrom rubbed the back of his neck and gave Flavia an awkward look.

She gave him a nod. "I'll allow it. Besides I'd like to see what these Pokémon are capable of."

Chrom nodded in return and turned to the Pokémon "Alright Honedge, you're in."

"Honedge! Hone, Honedge!" He squeaked happily.

Sibuna chuckled a bit at his enthusiasm. "He says thank you, he won't let you down. Also that his name is Arthur."

Robin was slightly curious at the human sounding name but nonetheless smiled. "Well, Arthur, we better get going shall we?"

"Hone!"

As the Shepherds entered the arena, Flavia and Shani headed towards another entrance to take their seats. Meanwhile the Khan couldn't help but think of the Honedge's name and its Pokedex entry.

' _Born when a departed spirit inhabits a sword.' I wonder…_

"Khan Flavia." Shani said breaking her thoughts.

"Hm? Yes Shani?"

"I still can't believe your letting them fight in the tournament!" The myrmidon ranted to her.

"You say that like you think they're incompetent."

"Yes, I think they're incompetent! Especially since they have that, that _Grimleal_ for a tactician!" Shani admitted, with venom dripping in her words.

"Look I get that it's odd that she has their robe, but that girl didn't have a _trace_ of dementedness of those fanatics."

Shani said nothing as she pulled her hood over her head; her long ponytail somehow snugs itself inside it. "Yeah well, appearances can be deceiving…"

Flavia just shakes her head in defeat as Shani walked ahead of her. She's known Shani for a couple years now and she was not an easy person to convince. She found her in a pretty sorry state and despite the fact that Flavia took her in no questions asked, the Khan was convinced that Shani _still_ doesn't completely trust her.

As Flavia took her seat beside the West-Khan as Shani stood beside her, she caught a quick glance at the bandages around Shani's wrists before focusing her attention to the field below.

 **Meanwhile…**

Before stepping on to the arena, the Shepherds had to choose their six combatants versus the west's nine. In the end they ended up choosing Chrom, Frederick, Robin, Miriel, Lissa and Arthur the Honedge, while the rest of the group had front row seats. As they set foot on the arena they saw that their opponents consisted of a few mages, fighters and knights; and being led by a familiar masked swordsman.

"Chrom, look!" Lissa called out pointing at Marth.

"I see him…" Chrom said as he stepped forward and Marth did the same. "Marth! One question before we continue?"

Marth just said nothing in response.

Chrom's brow furrowed "…Fine then. Our swords can speak for us!"

Seeing that the two parties are ready, the West-Khan a bald, muscular, dark skinned man wearing an eye patch held his arm up.

"Let the tournament… Begin!" He announced as he swiped his arm down.

Chrom unsheathed his Falchion and made an intricate motion to point it at Marth. Curiously, Marth copied the same motion as he pointed his sword at him …a sword that looked suspiciously like Chrom's.

The Prince eyes widened at the Falchion look-a-like. "Where did you get that?!"

His demand seemed to fall on deaf ears when Marth once again didn't respond.

"There's no way…" Chrom muttered in disbelief, but put those feelings on hold as he jumped high in the air and descended into the masked man, only for him to block it the last minute. The two parried sword swipes for a while and Chrom was noticing Marth's strength matched his, blow for blow.

"Tell me, who taught you to fight like that?" He grunted as the too crossed blades again, also ending in a stalemate. They charged past one another after another clash and Chrom noticed Marth doing the same diving move he did in the beginning as he finally spoke.

"My father!"

Chrom jumped out of the way of the attack only to get a challenging glare from Marth, which he returned. Meanwhile the Shepherds were fighting their own opponents; Robin was dealing with a bulky armored knight while Arthur (who was unsheathed) traded blows with an axe wielding fighter. The two surprisingly made a good team thanks to Robin's strategy and Arthur's sneak attacks via the move Shadow Sneak. The looks on the other team's faces (and the audiences) were quite funny when they saw a sword fighting by itself.

Arthur gave the fighter a quick, non-lethal Slash across his chest to knock him out when he was going after Robin.

"Thanks Arthur." She thanked the Sword Pokémon who nodded in return. But as Robin quickly scanned the battlefield she was surprised that they were winning so easily and their opponents were supposed just as skilled, if not more, than they were. And while the Shepherds worked together to fight, the Feroxi plus Marth acted in solitude.

 _Maybe they don't trust each other…_

"HOOOONE!"

Robin's thoughts broke when she heard Arthur screech in pain. She turned around to see the Honedge blasted back with a Fire tome by a mage. The enemy mage was about to fire at Arthur again but Robin countered it with her Thunder and used the explosion as a distraction to cut him down with her bronze sword.

"Hooo…" Arthur groaned pitifully as he laid on the ground. The tactician ran over to Arthur and picked him up while being very careful not to touch his hilt.

"Lissa!"

The cleric looked up from healing Miriel and ran over to Robin.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Arthur, he's hurt pretty bad!" Robin responded looking at the scorch marks on him, remembering what Ryo said about Steel Types being weak to fire.

"Don't worry, I got this!" Lissa assured as she raised her staff to heal the Honedge. As he felt the magic heal his burns he looked weakly at Robin and suddenly had flashbacks to another woman, slightly older than she was with black hear wearing knights armor looking over him with teary eyes, until he was snapped back into reality as most of his injuries healed.

"There! All better!" Lissa said happily. Arthur floated out of Robin's hands and twirled around Lissa as a sort of 'thank you'.

Lissa giggled at the Honedge. "Aw, you're welcome! Now go get 'em!"

"Edge!" He cheered as he grabbed his sheath with his cloth and floated away to help out Chrom. But not before glancing back at Robin who headed in another direction with Lissa.

 _Sister…_

…

Marth saw that Chrom was by himself again and when he was about to go after him again a shadow crept up to him a struck him from behind.

Startled by the sneak attack he turned around to retaliate, only to see a floating sword with an eye glaring at him. If you could see through his mask his expression was shocked.

"What sort of sorcery…?" He whispered to himself at the peculiar sight.

"Honedge! Edge!" It seemed to say to her as it pointed it's blade at him.

Seeing that this… thing… wasn't going to leave anytime soon he pointed his Falchion at his opponent.

"Let us fight with honor. May the best soldier win!" He challenged.

The two begin to parry blades with exceptional skill. The two manage to get a hit every once in a while but while his attacks barely seemed to faze it, especially after it glowed a metallic sheen (Iron Defense), this living sword was starting to do more and more damage to her when it used a technique that made it's blade glow red (Fury Cutter).

"Would you like some help Arthur?" Chrom said as he came ran them.

"Edge." Arthur nodded at the Prince as the two of them stared down the individual.

"Who is your father?" Asked Chrom.

"I've said enough for one day, sir." He responded.

Chrom sighed at Marth's lack of answers. "Is that how it is? Lissa owes you her life and for that you have my gratitude. But within these walls I represent the East-Khan and the interests of Ylisse. I can't promise to stay my blade but I vow not to shame you."

For the first time since seeing him, Marth gave a small smirk. "Heh, never expected such youthful arrogance… We shall see who shames who!"

They charged towards one another, neither side giving in. Slowly Chrom was starting to get the advantage thanks to Arthur slowing tiring Marth out with his own foreign techniques. After telling Arthur to step back so he can finish the job, Marth put out a good fight against them but ultimately fell to Chrom's final blow.

"Impressive… if not surprising…" He groaned as he fell unconscious.

All was heard the thunderous applause of the audience.

 **Later…**

"Well fought! You have my respect." Flavia praised them after the battle and all the west combatants were taken away to heal. "And, perhaps more to the point, you have your alliance. I will provide Ylisse with the soldiers she needs."

Chrom's expression lit up with hope. "Truly? Thank you East-Khan."

Flavia laughed a bit "I should thank you! It feels like it's been ages since I've held full power. Come my new friends! Tonight we celebrate!" And off she went to prepare for it.

"Bah! Any excuse for a party and she jumps on it…" Said the bald man who took a seat next to Flavia on the stands.

"I'm sorry have we met?" Chrom asked.

"I'm the West-Khan you so rudely removed from power! I thought for sure I'd picked the stronger man. And also wasn't expecting a sword that could use itself!"

Arthur kinda blushed at the praise.

"What do you know about him?" Chrom asked, hoping he would know more about Marth.

The West-Khan just scoffed "You mean that 'Marth'? He's just some sellsword with delusions of grandeur. All I know is that he turned up one eve and knocked my old champion flat. It was love at first sight, and I'm generally too old for such things! Ha! Anyway, he's gone now. Up and left as soon as the tournament ended."

"He's so dark and mysterious…" Lissa sighed dreamily.

"Sounds like Marth's got at least one fan…" Robin teased.

"Well, I mean, come on he is sorta dreamy, isn't he?"

"And _you're_ sort of dreaming!" Chrom said, not amused.

"Lighten up, Big Brother. I was just kidding." Lissa played it off.

"Milord? Milady? If this fascinating discussion is over, we'd best return home. The exalt will want new of this new alliance immediately." Frederick interrupted.

"Right as always Frederick." Agreed Chrom.

"Hold, boy. Before you go, I have a little present for you." The West-Khan gestured for a man to come over. He had black colored hair and a blue tunic, giving everyone a stern look.

"This is Lon'qu, my former champion. Not much for talking, mind you, but he's peerless with a sword. As good as Marth, in my mind. To be honest, I can't figure out how Marth bested him so quickly…"

That confirmed Robin's suspicion on why the opposing team was so disorganized.

"Marth beat him? But he looks so big and strong…" Lissa said as he walked towards him.

"Away woman!" Lon'qu barked back at her, making her back off.

"Hey! W-What did I say?" Lissa yelped.

The West-Khan laughed a bit "Let's just say that ladies tend to put Lon'qu on edge. Nonetheless, he is capable. Perhaps he even has the making of a khan. Consider him West Ferox's contribution to the Ylissean cause."

"You're certain of this?" Chrom asked to be sure.

"Yes, yes. He's your man now."

"And Lon'qu? You have no objections?"

"He gives orders. I stab people. I think our roles are clear." Lon'qu said bluntly.

"…Alright, then. Welcome aboard."

 **Meanwhile…**

At the snowy terrain outside of the Longfort, Marth turned back to look at it one last time, almost with a melancholic expression before resuming his way through the snowy woods. Unbeknownst to him, he wasn't alone.

The Absol came out from the bushes behind Marth, giving the swordsman a curious expression. Something about this human intrigued him, especially when he overheard him say about an impending doom.

"Sol…" He whispered before he resumed following him.

 **Later…**

The Shepherds decided to celebrate with Flavia for a bit before going their way (so no alcohol), it also was a good time for she along with the West-Khan, apparently named Basilio to learn a bit about Pokémon from Ryo, since they were starting to show up in Ferox. Needless to say they were very interested, especially the part about battles.

But Flavia wanted to ask a question about a certain Honedge that was nagging her. "So… Arthur was it? That Pokedex thingy said that your kind are spirits that inhabit swords, so if you don't mind me asking, were you a human?"

Arthur's eye widened a bit, not expecting the question. But he nodded in response. "Honedge, Honedge. Edge, Edge, Hone."

Sibuna took his cue to translate. "He's saying that he was, as were many other elder Honedges in Kalos. They came to be when they lost their lives in a war and when they woke up they turned into Pokémon. Since they could no longer go home they made a settlement in the gardens in and around Parfum Palace."

"Wait… so does that mean in your world people become Pokémon when they die?!" Stahl exclaimed in disbelief as everyone turned to Sibuna and Arthur.

Ryo turned to them too, since she hasn't had the chance to study Ghost-Types often.

"No. Not all humans become Ghost Pokémon when they die, only those that met with untimely deaths. But not every Ghost Pokémon was a human in life, since they could breed just like any other Pokémon; they are Ghost Pokémon that always were Pokémon." Sibuna assured and Arthur nodded in response.

"How do you know that?" Shani glared in suspicion.

"I've met plenty of Ghosts in my years, they told me themselves."

Shani still doesn't ease her expression, making Flavia sigh in response. But then an idea formed in her mind…

Suddenly Arthur floated over to Robin. The tactician raised a brow in confusion. "Is something wrong?"

"Honedge, Honedge?"

Sibuna just smiled at what he heard. "Oh he's just asking for you to be his trainer Miss Robin."

That caught Robin by surprise. "R-Really?! Why me?"

"Honedge, Honedge. Edge."

"He says that you remind him of his sister, who was his comrade during the war. Also he wanted to repay you for fighting alongside him." The Lucario translated.

Robin looked around for to the other Shepherds for an answer. They all nodded their heads, liking the idea of another Pokémon in the group and honestly she liked it too.

"Very well Arthur, I suppose we're partners now." Robin said with a smile as she gestured for a handshake. Arthur held out his hand shaped cloth and shook it happily. ( **AN: It's the hilt that drains energy not the cloth, kay?** )

"Hey Ryo, since I'm new to this Pokémon training, is it all right if you help me?"

"Of course Robin! I'd be happy too!" Ryo said eagerly.

Chrom smiled at what unfolded. "Well now it seems we have two more joining our ranks!"

"Actually Prince Chrom, make that three." Flavia spoke up. Everyone turned to her in confusion.

"Um… what do you mean?" Chrom questioned.

Flavia just smirked. "I'm saying I'm letting one of my soldiers join your ranks. Hell you won the tournament for me! The least I could do!"

"…All right. Who do you have in mind?"

The East-Khan's grin grew even further. "Shani."

"WHAT?!"

Everyone turned to see Shani absolutely livid. "What. The. Hell?! You want _me_ to join _**them**_?!"

"Yes, I do." Flavia answered simply.

"Why?!"

"Because you need more experience outside these walls Shani. You're a brilliant swordswoman but your reckless behavior will get you killed one day and you also need to learn to keep that temper of yours in check and that not everyone is out to get you. I believe these folks would take you in just fine, right Prince Chrom?"

Chrom jumped at the last part. He really, REALLY, didn't want to take Shani, no matter how good a fighter she was; even saw the other Shepherds expressions telling him 'Don't do it!'. But he couldn't help but feel that Flavia added the last part as something akin to blackmail, for winning her position and keeping their relations.

 _I know I'm going to regret this…_

"Shani… we'd be glad… if you join the Shepherds…" He practically forced out, not even wanting to look at others face palming.

Shani was incredibly tempted to say no (or punch him) and leave but got a look at Flavia's face that was a cross between 'No's not an option!' and 'this is for your own good.' As much as she didn't want to admit it she had a very small sliver of trust in the East-Khan, since she hadn't steered her wrong yet.

 _Also… since I'll be on the road maybe I'll cut down more of these Grimleal bastards, than I ever could here…_

"…Fine." She muttered.

"Now was that so hard, Shani?" Flavia teased, only to have the myrmidon snarl at her.

"But keep your 'tactician' as far away from me as possible!" Shani sneered.

Robin squeaked as she hid behind Chrom.

"Oh… I don't think that would be a problem…"

 **Much later…**

Long after the Shepherds when on their way, Flavia and Basilio went to their throne room to discuss recent events.

"Flavia, I can't believe you did that! Lon'qu's joining them is one thing but the 'Suicidal Sword'?! That girl practically sees _everyone_ as an enemy! Even you and me!" Basilio ranted to her.

Flavia scowled at him for calling Shani that. When Shani joined her ranks she quickly became known for her taking on opponents stronger that her and taking the tougher missions and jobs, even if she came back bruised and bloodied, she'll do it again as soon as she gets the chance, earning her the nickname Suicidal Sword.

Another thing Shani was known for was her hostility towards others, especially those of authority.  
Hell when the other soldiers of both sides heard that Shani was leaving, they practically celebrated.

But Flavia saw something in her, she didn't know what exactly but she knows it's there. And whatever it was, she wasn't going to find it here in Ferox.

 _Let's hope she puts that stubbornness aside to find it…_

 **Hope you get that reference to Shani's "nickname", if you did let me know! And another Pokémon joins the ranks! Hope you guys like Arthur the Honedge and part of his back story; I actually have a headcannon where the humans that die young become Ghost types but those who die of old age and the like get to move on as normal spirits and such, that doesn't seem so farfetched right?**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	7. Chapter 7

**This is quite possibly the longest chapter I've ever written for any of my stories. EVER. If this keeps up most if not all of them will be this long and thus take a while. I'm a little iffy on this chapters quality though… but you'll guys will tell right?**

"…Then Regna Ferox will support Ylisse?" Emmeryn stated when Chrom (along with Frederick and Lissa) gave her the news when they Shepherds returned to Ylisstol late in the afternoon. "Thank you Chrom. I knew sending you was the right choice."

"You should see Ferox's warriors! Perhaps now our people will be safe from those blasted Plegians and Risen!" Elated Chrom.

"Indeed. And not just them I can see more Pokémon have joined your ranks…" Emmeryn said noticing the Lucario and Honedge with them as they patiently remained quiet until they were allowed to speak.

"Yes Your Highness, I am Sibuna, a Lucario. And this is Arthur, a Honedge." Sibuna introduced as he and Arthur bowed politely.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet both of you." Emmeryn bowed in return.

"I… must admit, I'm surprised that you take the fact that I can speak pretty well."

The Exalt just smiled at him warmly. "I may not know much about Pokémon in general, but it didn't seem too unbelievable that some of you would speak. Am I wrong?"

"N-No. Not at all." Sibuna responded surprisingly flustered by Emmeryn's nature. But not in a bad way.

Suddenly Phila bursts into the throne looking pale and out of breath.

"Your Grace! Milord! Forgive me, but I bring alarming news!" She gasped for air.

"Phila! Slow down, please! What's happened?" Emmeryn tried to calm the pegasus knight.

"Plegian soldiers have been sighted inside our southwest border! They attacked a village in Themis and abducted the duke's daughter!"

Lissa's eyes widened when she realized who they were talking about.

"B-But that would be…Maribelle! Chrom, we have to do something!"

"There's more…" Phila continued grimly. "King Gangrel of Plegia claims Lady Maribelle invaded HIS country. He demands we pay reparations for this 'insult'."

"And we're to believe a dastard like the Mad King of Plegia?!" Chrom ranted.

"Peace, Chrom. We must keep our wits about us." Emmeryn tried to calm her brother.

"We should put a sword in his gut and be done with it!" Chrom barked back. "The Mad King has been trying to provoke war with Ylisse at every step! He won't stop until he drags this whole continent to hell with him!"

Phila nodded in agreement. "I agree with the prince, Your Grace. We must demonstrate to Plegia that such actions have consequences."

"I understand your feelings, Chrom. Truly I do. But if we give him the war he wants, then we lose, no matter what the outcome. Our last conflict nearly ruined the halidom. It left the Ylisseans homeless and starving. We cannot repeat that mistake." Emmeryn said firmly before speaking again. "I will offer parley with King Gangrel."

"Emm, no you can't!" Lissa begged.

"Please reconsider, Your Grace. He cannot be trusted to act in good faith!" Phila added.

"So either we choose to march to war or leave Lady Maribelle to die?" The Exalt asked rhetorically. "No. I will not accept that."

Phila gave her statement some thought before sighing again.

"…Forgive me, Your Grace. I spoke out of turn. I know you will stand always by your own principles. Pray, allow the pegasus knights to accompany you."

"I'm going too… Someone has to save you from your good intentions." Chrom muttered quietly.

"And I wanna be there for you AND Maribelle!" Lissa chimed in

"Don't forget me and the Shepherds." Added Frederick; the Pokémon nodding in agreement.

Emmeryn looked at everyone with a grateful smile. "As you wish. Thank you all. Your strength will be mine."

Frederick then turned to the lead pegasus knight. "So, where is Lady Maribelle now?"

"According to the report…"

 **Later…**

At the Shepherd's garrison, night fell as everyone got ready for the sudden march with haste. Chrom shot a glance to the Pokémon and Ryo who were helping out with the preparations as well.

"Sibuna, Arthur. Can I speak to the both of you?" Chrom said as the two came towards him.

"Is something wrong Chrom?" Sibuna asked

"Robin and I have been talking. While we know you two want to come along, we think it's best if you stayed in the convoy on standby. Since we don't know if Pokémon have been appearing in Plegia and Emm and I don't want this news getting out just yet, it's better that you two remain hidden unless it's absolutely necessary. Is that alright?"

Sibuna turned to Arthur at the moment to see his reaction. The Honedge kept a serious expression and nodded in agreement. Arthur had missions like this when he was a still human, so he knew how delicate this situation was.

"We understand mast-. I mean, sir." The Lucario said, his eyes slightly widening (luckily it went unnoticed) at what he almost said.

Chrom was slightly curious at the slip up, but shook it off quickly. "Good. Also, Ryo…"

The Pokémon Watcher looked up from helping Robin as they came over to him. "Yeah?"

The prince took a deep breath to explain, while trying not to startle her. "Because of this very reason, it would also be best if you stayed here. Not just because you're not a soldier, we don't want Gangrel knowing that you know how to command Pokémon and I would not put it past him to make you and your companions more targets. Any objections?"

Ryo glanced at Midnight getting a belly rub from Lissa and slightly paled at the thought, but he wasn't wrong. "N-No… but thanks for the warning Chrom… I appreciate it. Just be careful, 'kay?"

Robin put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We will."

She and Chrom walked out the garrison with their supplies at hand to join the others that were already ready, only to run into Shani at the same time, who only stopped to give them (mostly Robin) another death glare and walked out first.

Robin just sighed at what happened, while Chrom shook his head in disappointment.

"Well then? Is everyone ready to go?" Deciding to break the tension. "It's a long march through the western mountains to the Plegian border."

Suddenly a boy wearing a blue and grey mages outfit and a blue wizards hat rushed towards the outside.

"Captain! I'm all packed! When do we leave?!" He exclaimed with excitement.

"Ricken? How did you…?" Chrom asked before shaking his head. "Go back inside. You're not old enough for this mission."

"But Captain! You know my skill with magic! You know I can handle myself!" Ricken begged.

"I'd feel safer with your magic here, protecting the garrison and Ryo, alright?" Chrom retorted. "We're off, then. Be good."

And with that the Shepherds were off, either on foot, their mounts or snug in the convoy. Ricken, now by himself, silently fuming at what transpired.

"'Be good'? Gods how old does he think I am?!" He ranted as he paced in circles. Only to stop when he got an idea

"…Well, I'll show him just how good I can be!" He proclaimed as he ran back inside only to bump into Ryo carrying a broomstick, with her Zorua carrying a rag in her mouth. ( **AN: They met while Chrom and the others were in the castle.** )

"Whoa there Ricken, where's the fire?" Ryo joked.

"Oh… uh… Sorry Ryo. I just thought I'd…" Ricken stuttered until spotting the broomstick. "Be on my way to clean the sleeping quarters!" He lied.

"Oh. Do you want some help?"

"Nope! I'm good!" He said a little too quickly as he dashed away from her.

"Well if you need me just-!" She called out but he was already gone. "Call…"

 **Meanwhile in the Pokémon world…**

High in above a forest in the Kanto region, which was also nightfall as well, everything was peaceful. At least until it was broken by the sounds of Pokémon attacks, by a Pidgeotto and a Fearow respectively. The reason for this was because the Pidgeotto accidently flew into Fearow territory and now the larger and fully evolved bird was now chasing its new prey.

The Pidgeotto unleashed its Air Slash, only for the Fearow to dodge and use Drill Peck right at its wing.

"PIDGEOOOO!" The smaller bird screeched in pain. While the force was not enough to break his wing, it certainly was enough to make him fall rapidly to the ground below, with the Fearow making chase.

When the Pidgeotto thought this was the end of the road for him, he didn't realize that there was a portal opening up right below him and when he fell to the tree line it swallowed him up and disappeared.

The Fearow stopped by the tree line expecting to see his dinner on the ground… only to find nothing there.

 _Where did he go?!_

 **Back in Ylisse…**

The Shepherds decided to stop midway to the border since it was already late and Chrom wanted them to be well rested in case King Gangrel was planning something.

Outside Sumia's tent she heard her pegasus neigh in fright. Worried that they were being attacked she dashed outside to see a large pale brown bird, with several scratches struggling to get away from the winged horse.

Sumia got in between both of them to try to prevent something bad. She first went over to calm her pegasus, when that was done she went over to the strange bird.

"Sumia! What's-?" Chrom called out but Sumia quickly shushed him so he wouldn't scare the bird further. She got closer for a better look at the bird to see it had crown of pink feathers on its head, pink and yellow tail feathers and black markings around his face like a mask. It was then she noticed the intelligence behind the glare.

 _Is this bird… another Pokémon?_ Sumia thought with curiosity; not noticing she was getting attention from the other Shepherds, Phila and the Exalt.

"Pidgeooo!" The bird gave the pegasus knight a warning squawk.

"Shhh… it's ok. I'm not going to hurt you." She whispered softly as she walked slowly towards it. Sumia then crouched down to be eye level with it. "You're among friends. Don't be scared."

The bird's glare softened a bit; this human's presence was surprisingly calming. Calming enough for him to get a bit closer to her. Sumia just smiled as she slowly brought out her hand to pet the bird's head.

"Lissa can you help heal him, please?"

The cleric was slightly surprised at the by the sudden request but went over their anyway with her staff. The bird slightly flinched at the new person coming over, but Sumia's petting calmed him down. Lissa then used her staff's energy heal the birds wounds, feeling satisfied when saw the scratches close up.

The bird was surprised at what happened but was glad to no longer feel sore, especially on his wing and flapped away happily to find his flock (unbeknownst to him that he was a world away from them).

"Pidgoo!"

"He's saying thank you." Sibuna took his cue to translate.

Sumia giggled and started to wave goodbye "You're very welcome!"

Robin then turned to the Lucario. "Was that another Pokémon, Sibuna?"

"Yes, he's a Pidgeotto."

Phila then turned to Sumia. "That's was pretty impressive how you handled the situation Sumia."

"Oh… um… Thank you Phila."

Chrom smiled at the events but then remembered something. "Alright everyone let's get back to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

Everyone took their leave and turned back in to their tents but before Sumia could herself, Chrom got her attention. "Good job, Sumia."

"T-Thank you Captain." Sumia said blushing.

 **Back at the Shepherd's garrison…**

"Ricken?! Ricken, where the heck are you?!"

Ryo ran around the garrison inside and out to look for Ricken, who she hadn't heard from for about an hour.

When she came out of to the training ground, Midnight ran towards her feet.

"Did you find him?" She asked with hope, only to have Midnight shake her head.

"Well that's just great! Where could he be?"

Midnight had a pretty good idea, but her ears slightly drooped as she turned her head towards where Chrom and the Shepherds left.

"Oh no… don't tell me he went after them!"

Midnight yipped sadly.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap! What am I gonna do?! He's gonna get himself killed!" Ryo panicked.

The Zorua went towards the edge and pointed towards it with a paw.

"Wait… are you seriously suggesting going after him?!" Ryo exclaimed slack-jawed getting a yip and a nod in response.

"We can't! It's too dangerous!"

Midnight gave her a funny look and did a glowing somersault to turn into a Gyarados.

"Yeah I know I was willing to swim with those Gyarados in the Lake of Rage, but-!"

Midnight interrupted her by turning into a woman with short gray hair, some sort of dark visor and a black trench coat. ***1**

"And yes I know I stopped that Pokémon Hunter from catching those Shieldon but-!"

She was interrupted yet again when Midnight turned into a Litwick.

"And yes! I know I avoided getting the life sucked out of me from those Litwicks! I get your point! We did dangerous and sometimes stupid stuff! But this is something very different! I just don't anything to happen to us or to jeopardize the Shepherds' mission!"

Midnight then turned herself back into Zorua and rubbed her trainer's legs and looking up to her with a calm expression that said 'we'll be fine'. Ryo just gave a long sigh; this little Zorua was always her rock when it comes to tough choices since she 'left' her parents in Goldenrod. And despite not being interested in evolving (which is why she wears an Everstone pendant) and her usual snarky, playful personality, was more mature than she gave off.

The Pokémon Watcher unclipped another Pokéball from her belt and gave another sigh. _I must be out of my mind…_

"Go Sugar!" She tossed the ball up to release her Slurpuff.

"Sluur~!" Sugar cooed at her trainer who went to get her backpack.

"Hey Sugar, you remember Ricken right? Short guy, orange hair, floppy hat?" Ryo asked as she got out a leash from her backpack and Midnight hoping on her shoulder.

Sugar tapped her little nub of a paw on her non-existent chin, but then nodded.

"Well he ran off and I need you to use that nose of yours to find him. I'll give you treats~!" She explained. Ryo never says it out loud but she knows Sugar can be… a bit of a 'dum-dum', as she puts it. But she also knows she'll pay extra attention to something if you give her snacks.

"Puff~!" The Meringue Pokémon cheered as Ryo put on her leash (She uses it whenever she needs Sugar to track something, so she wouldn't run off).

Sugar sniffed the ground and the air to get Ricken's scent. For a minute she kept going around, until her nose was hit with the scent she needed.

"SLURPUUUFFF!" Sugar squealed as she ran full speed towards the trail, with Ryo and Midnight hanging on for dear life.

"I ALREADY REGRET THIS!"

 **The next morning, near the Plegian Border…**

Pidgeotto was confused. He may not have been to everywhere in Kanto but he was pretty sure that Kanto doesn't have this many mountains and abandoned stone buildings. And he's been flying the whole night; there was no sign of his flock or any Pokémon for that matter.

… _Where am I?_

He then noticed below him a group of humans by some cliffs so he perched in a tree, but something about this situation bothered him so he remained hidden in the thick top branches.

The Pidgeotto noticed the group was the humans that healed him last night. And they were staring down to pretty scary individuals atop one of the cliffs. One was a man with short grizzly red hair and goatee wearing black clothing with a gaudy looking cape and a thin golden crown. The other was a woman with long silver hair, a pretty revealing outfit that showed her cleavage and black pieces of spiny armor on her head, shoulders and hips. Finally another soldier with a skull helmet and fur trimmed armor had a fancy looking lady tied and bound. Now he definitely didn't like what he saw.

"Surely you have not forgotten what the last exalt did to my people? Your father named us heathens! His 'crusade' across Plegia butchered countless of my subjects and my kin!" The crowned man, King Gangrel himself, declared with venom in his words.

"…I have never denied Ylisse's past wrongdoings. But I have sworn never to repeat those mistakes. Ours is now a realm of peace." Emmeryn tried to reason but Gangrel would hear none of it.

"Yours is now a haven of hypocrisy! Now give me the Fire Emblem!"

"No, Your Grace! I'd sooner die than act as a bargaining chip for this filthy reprobate!" Maribelle pleaded to the Exalt.

"No, Maribelle…"

By then Gangrel had enough "Ugh... Taaaaaalk talk-talk-talk-talk. It's time to speak louder than words! This negotiation is over, Your Luminosity! I shall have the Emblem if I have to pry it from your shiny dead hands!"

With the sweep of his arm three brigands ran over to Emmeryn but Chrom jumped in front of her drew his sword and cut two of them down; their blood spilling on the ground. Unbeknownst to everyone they had an two unexpected audience members, one of them the Pidgeotto and the other… a certain Pokémon Watcher ( who remained hidden thanks to her Zorua's illusion to try and get near Maribelle) watching the scene with a horrified expression.

"Stay back! Or you'll all suffer the same fate!" Chrom warned dangerously.

Gangrel just formed a disturbing smile. "Now that's a declaration of war if ever heard one… a big, messy war that will bleed you Ylisseans dry! Bwa ha ha!"

As if the laugh was a battle cry, more Plegian soldiers came out of the forts and wyvern riders came swooping down from the cliffs.

"Poor, stupid girl…" said the woman, Aversa as she ran a finger under Maribelle's chin before she gave an evil giggle. "Are you really worth fighting a war over? Years from now, you'll be remembered only as she who destroyed House Ylisse."

Maribelle's eyes widened in horror of the thought. But right when her eyes started to mist a burst of wind magic blasted the guard that had her bound unconscious and pushed Aversa aside; leaving her distracted enough for a certain mage to untie her.

"Maribelle! Go! You're free!" Her savior said, as she recognized him.

"Ricken?! What are you doing here?"

"Just run we can talk about it later!"

Aversa got back on her feet, only to give Ricken a teasing yet sinister smile. "Oh, is this your little boyfriend? Isn't he just precious…?"

"Don't talk down to me witch!" He barked back before blasting with more wind magic, getting an opportunity for him and Maribelle to get away.

"Wretched whelp!" Aversa snarled as she recovered "I should… No. our soldiers have them outnumbered. The brats will be long dead before they can reach their comrades." She laughed sinisterly at the thought.

 **Meanwhile…**

Chrom saw what happened at the cliff side from the distance as he tried to fight off the brigands that were attacking him. He couldn't decide whether he should be mad at Ricken for disobeying him or grateful that he got Maribelle away from them.

 _We'll discuss this later…_

He then turned to his tactician. "Robin what's the plan?"

She racked her brain for ideas. "I think our main priority is to get Maribelle and Ricken out of there. Lissa do we have a Rescue Staff?"

Lissa quickly looked through the convoy for one.

"Hone!" Arthur said as handed her the staff but still stayed in the convoy as ordered.

"Thanks Arthur." Lissa whispered. But when she turned around at Shepherds she noticed someone missing.

"Guys… where did Shani go?"

Everyone looked around to see that the myrmidon had indeed left them. All Robin could do was groan in frustration; Shani probably left so she wouldn't take orders from her.

 **At the cliff side….**

Ricken and Maribelle managed to get enough distance between them and their assailants, but ran into a dead end in another cliff. Right below them was an abandoned for surrounded by trees.

"We're trapped! What do we do?!" Maribelle panicked.

"I'm thinking! I'm thinking!" He responded.

But he had no time to think as two wyvern riders were after them.

"Eep! Thinking time's over! We gotta jump!"

Maribelle looked at him like he grew a second head. "What?! Ricken have you lost your wits?!"

"We have no choice! Hang on!" The mage retorted as he grabbed on to Maribelle, while the troubadour grabbed on to him as they both took the leap of faith.

But it was over surprisingly quickly because instead of landing on the ground they landed on a soft surface. They looked down to see they were on a whole bunch of cottony fluff (Cotton Guard).

"Guys! Come down quick!" Whispered a voice from hiding from one of the forts.

"Ryo?" The troubadour looked around curiously.

They both looked down to see Ryo gesturing for them. The two jumped from their cushion to see it disappear leaving Sugar in its place along with a glowing wave of red energy going up (Raising stats).

"Good job, Sugar." Ryo whispered as she tossed a Poffin to her Slurpuff, who caught it in her mouth.

"Thanks Ryo!" Ricken thanked… only to get smacked in the head with a paper fan (Don't ask where she got it). "Hey! What was that for?!"

"Doing something stupid! Which made me do something stupid!" She barked back (albeit quietly).

Midnight was suddenly barking like crazy as a brigand came through one of the leveled walls of the fort in an attempt to attack them.

Right when about to cut down Ryo with his axe, Sugar hit him with a Thunderbolt to paralyze him while Midnight used Dark Pulse to send him flying to a wall, killing him on impact. Ryo's eyes widened with surprise; she couldn't believe her Pokémon… killed somebody, even if it was in her defense.

But the two Pokémon (even Sugar) had serious looks on their faces. What Ryo didn't know was that Midnight had a serious talk with the rest of her team before they left for Regna Ferox; one where they realize that rules from their world weren't gonna apply here, so they made a pact to protect their trainer with their lives, even if it meant killing someone.

Before anyone could process what happened a wyvern rider came through below, seeing his fallen comrade flew after them, axe in hand. Right then the small group were moving out of the way another figure jumped down from the other wall and used it's sword to stab the wyvern right in between its eyes, killing it as it rammed into the stone wall.

"What the-?!" Before the wyvern rider could process what happened the figure jumped on his dead wyvern and stabbed his heart; killing him instantly. It took the group a while to process who this was, but they realized when their savior turned around to reveal that it was Shani, wearing a neutral look like her kill was nothing.

Maribelle, Ricken and Ryo were shocked on how quickly she killed the Plegian. But the former two couldn't believe on how she did it. Jumping onto a wyvern mid-flight? That's crazy!

"Are you all just stand their gawking at me or are you gonna get to safety?" Shani said bluntly as they realized they were staring.

"S-Sorry… But what are you doing here Shani?" Ryo stuttered.

"In case you haven't noticed there's a battle going on. I'm merely following my instincts." She responded bluntly again as she started to walk off but stop when she noticed they weren't following her. "*Sigh* Look… I _really_ don't give a damn about Ylisse and Plegia's political issues but Plegia has been doing nothing but slaughter innocents …and I won't stand for that."

Ryo's eyes widened slightly. She actually heard some emotion from Shani that wasn't anger. Maybe not necessarily good emotions but it was something. So she decided to take the first steps towards her to get out and the others followed suit, albeit cautiously.

Then they heard roars above them as they sneaked through the area, they looked up to see Sumia being fighting by a couple other wyvern riders. …And losing.

 **With Sumia…**

 _This is harder than I thought…_ Sumia thought as she had several injuries. She had no idea how deal with wyverns and now that she thought about it not a lot other Shepherds either. And they were really giving her trouble.

She was going to take out a vulnerary to get healed but another wyvern rider caught up to her, about to cut her head off, until…

"PIDGEOOOO!"

Suddenly spinning saw blades made of air (Air Slash) came out of nowhere and shot the wyvern rider out of the sky and plummeting to their deaths.

"W-What was…?"

That's when she saw Pidgeotto speed by her with white slipstreams (Aerial Ace) to rip right through another wyvern's wing.

"It's you!" Sumia exclaimed in surprised.

"Pidgeo!" The Flying type nodded.

The pegasus knight smiled at the bird. "Thank you… Do you want to help?"

Pidgeotto nodded again.

"All right, here goes!"

"Pidgeoo!"

 **Meanwhile…**

Robin was starting to get nervous. No matter how good at tactics she was, there was no way she was expecting wyvern riders. Except for Frederick, Lon'qu and maybe Shani, no one knew how to deal with them; the Shepherds were a vigilante group and for Emmeryn's reign Ylisse has no proper army. So it all seem one sided until she spot that familiar bird.

She suddenly noticed Arthur come out of the convoy, unsheathe himself and made his blade glow white for a Slash attack on another brigand fighter.

"Arthur?"

"Hone!"

Chrom noticed this as well and went to him. "Arthur I told you to stay in the convoy."

"Chrom if I may…"

The prince turned to Sibuna who also came out. "I think your plan to keep us a secret won't matter anymore since that Pidgeotto already revealed himself. And face it; at this point you need all the help you can get."

Chrom let out a sigh, he wished he would've kept their existence a secret for a little while longer but it looks like they have no choice.

"All right. Let's do this!" Chrom brought out his sword once more.

"Metal Claw!" Sibuna's arm spikes started glow and turned sharp claws with a metallic sheen. The prince and the Lucario plus the tactician and the Honedge made both strong and effective teams even against wyvern riders, which Sibuna handled with several Aura Spheres.

"Big Brother I got them!" Lissa cheered as she used her staff teleportation magic to get Maribelle, Ricken and…

"Ryo?! What are you doing here?!" Chrom exclaimed with exasperation. "I thought you wanted no part in this."

"Two words Chrom: Blame. Ricken." She responded by giving said mage a death glare, with Chrom joining in. But his expression changed into a small smile.

"You did well today Ricken, thanks to you we got Maribelle out of harm's way."

"Thanks Captain!" Ricken said proud of himself but then noticed Chrom's grin was there for a bit too long. "I'm still in trouble, aren't I?"

"Oh, big time."

The mage rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Maribelle! Are you hurt?!" Lissa asked her friend in worry.

"Nothing I didn't return twofold, darling." Maribelle replied simply as Ryo shot her a look.

 _You didn't do anything!_ She thought.

"I'm glad you're safe." Robin said.

"Who…? Oh, it's you."

"Yes. I know you're not especially fond of me, but it's a relief just the same."

"Oh it's not a question of fondness. I am simply protective of Lissa. My treasure, and…" Maribelle stopped herself mid-sentence. "Wait. Am I really justifying myself to commoner? Gods… Yes, well, I do… apologize for being curt. And… And… And you have my thanks for your part in the rescue. There I said it!" She practically forced that last part out.

Robin was satisfied with the thanks but her expression turned confused when he saw Ryo looking around "Where's Shani? I thought she was with us."

That statement caught Robin's attention. "Shani was with you?"

"Whoa! Look at that!" They heard Stahl exclaim as she pointed up.

They looked to see Shani getting on top of the tree to hop on more wyverns' backs to kill their riders, while the rest were handled by Sumia and Pidgeotto. She was even hopping from wyvern to wyvern making them drop like flies, almost not caring if she was going to fall. The way she did it almost reminded Ryo of a circus acrobat, but gory.

"Tch! This girl's making us look bad!" Sully said with a hint of jealousy as she stabbed a dark mage.

"She fighting recklessly with no regards for her safety whatsoever. I'd say that woman has lost her head!" Frederick said.

"Pretty accurate description…" Lon'qu muttered quietly.

Chrom's brow was raised that Lon'qu didn't really seemed surprised by this sort of behavior. "Care to elaborate Lon'qu?"

Lon'qu just sighed. "I don't know Shani personally; she hasn't lived in Regna Ferox for that long. But she made a name for herself, not just for her skill but her lack of preservation on the battlefield. So much so that both sides of Feroxi troops call her Suicidal Sword."

That name gave everyone an uneasy vibe, especially Ryo. She saw that Shani had some sense of honor behind all that indifference.

 **Meanwhile…**

Captain Orton couldn't believe it. One moment they had the upper hand, the next minute they were losing to the Shepherd's having weird animals at their aid and this crazy lady jumping on his fellow men like they were nothing! King Gangrel and Lady Aversa already left, confident that they will succeed in getting the Fire Emblem, but this was something else. What's worse it's that some of the other's that survived are starting to retreat not wanting to deal with monsters or a mad woman; unlike those cowards he would rather die than face the king's wrath.

After the hooded myrmidon cut down another wyvern wider she landed neatly on another fortress wall, which gave him the perfect opportunity to retaliate.

"I won't ask for your name, woman. Only your life!" Orton exclaimed. He dove down at her short axe raised high; since she didn't move from her spot she thought it was an easy victory. But at the very last second she jumped on his mount, looked him in the eye with the scariest face he's ever seen (and that's saying something) and said…

"Good. I can say the same about you."

She slit his throat and he knew no more as his wyvern crashed into a tree.

"Shani!" Ryo and some of the Shepherds ran to the crash site to see if she's was injured. But those worries fell when she popped out of the fallen tree top, with scratches but otherwise alright. She then noticed Ryo come over.

"Calm down, I'm fine…" Shani responded but Ryo couldn't help but notice that she sounded… almost disappointed.

"H-Here let me heal you…" Lissa said nervously as Shani just shrugged.

As the remaining soldiers retreated and everyone healed either with staffs of vulneraries Chrom went over to Emmeryn who was waiting for them at the supply wagon.

"Forgive me Emm, I acted rashly."

Emmeryn shook her head "It's alright Chrom. King Gangrel is the one at fault here. You were only trying to protect me."

"The Mad King will be rallying his forces, if they have not mobilized already. I suggest we make haste back to Ylisstol and discuss our strategy."

"Of course, Frederick. It seems war is upon us." The Exalt said with a heavy heart. "We must protect the Ylissean people at all costs."

She then turned into Ryo and the Pokémon around them. "And protect our new allies too."

Ryo suddenly bowed her head in embarrassment.

"IamsosorrythatIcameoverwithoutpermission!IthoughtRickenwouldgetintroublewithouthelp!Ididn'tmeantoexposethePokémon!Ideserveanypunishmentyougiveme!" She stammered in one breath.

Midnight bowed her head too, since it was her idea to come here. And Sugar, well, just looked at the pretty trees.

Emmeryn stood up and put her hands on Ryo's shoulders. "Peace Ryo. You meant no ill will, I know that."

Chrom then stepped up too to try and calm her down "Yes and you didn't expose the Pokémon's existence either."

"I-I didn't?" Ryo sniffled.

"No, he did." Sumia said pointing to the Pidgeotto at her feet.

"A Pidgeotto?"

"Yeah! Sumia found him injured last night, so she calmed him down and I healed him up!" Lissa said.

Ryo subconsciously got her Pokedex out and pointed it at the bird.

 _ **Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokémon. A Normal/Flying Type. Very protective of its sprawling territorial area, this Pokémon will fiercely peck at any intruder. This Pokémon is native to the Kanto region.**_

At that moment Pidgeotto nuzzled Sumia's leg affectionately.

"Aww, I think he likes you Sumia!" Lissa cooed.

"Pidgeo! Pidgeo! Pidgeotto!"

"He's saying he's sorry if he interfered in something he wasn't supposed too, but he couldn't stand by any longer." Sibuna translated.

Sumia smiled as she pet the Pidgeotto's head. "Thanks again. I guess that makes us even, huh?"

"Pidgeo!" He chirped as he nuzzled her again, making her giggle.

"Hey… do you have anywhere to go?" The pegasus knight suddenly asked.

The Bird Pokémon's expression turned sad for a moment. He was, for lack of a better term, lost. This place was unfamiliar to him and he was nowhere near his flock.

Sumia seemed to notice this. "If you don't… maybe you can stay with us."

"Pidgeo?" He chirped in confusion.

"You don't have to though, it's your choice."

Pidgeotto gave it some thought, his flock was gonna miss him but it wasn't the first time a member of his flock left to join a human, this was basically the same thing. Besides he really likes this hu- er, Sumia.

"Pidgeotto!" He squawked in pride.

Sumia laughed softly. "Looks like we have a new Shepherd."

Frederick cleared his throat to get the others attention. "As touching as this is, we really should be heading back."

"Er, right." Chrom chuckled sheepishly. "Everyone we march back to Ylisstol!"

…

On the way back, while a lot of Shepherds were marching outside Ryo hitched a ride on the convoy feeling really tired after being up all night looking for Ricken, even coming close to falling asleep (Midnight already was and Sugar was returned to her ball). But she was kept mostly awake because of Shani, with her hood down, sitting across from her.

"What?" Shani said.

Ryo snapped out of it when she realized she was staring. "Um, uh… well…"

"Hmph. Then quit staring if you're not gonna answer."

"No… I mean… um. Those moves you did were pretty… graceful." Ryo said awkwardly.

Shani raised a brow at her.

"Um… were you an acrobat?"

The myrmidon was silent for a moment with Ryo mentally kicking herself for asking but she responded. "I was a street performer, years ago. You know acrobatics, street magic, things like that. But that was a past life."

"Oh…" Ryo said. "Can you show me some time?"

"Show you what?"

"Some magic tricks."

Shani blinked in slight surprise. "This isn't like the magic for tomes y'know. It's just parlor tricks."

"I know, I just thought it would be fun. We probably need some positivity since, you know, we're at… war." Ryo forced the last word out.

Shani was silent again, but responded as she pulled up her hood and closed her eyes (maybe to rest?) "I suppose… but not now."

Ryo smiled a bit. She actually made some progress with this scary swordswoman. "Ok." ***2**

Meanwhile Emmeryn, who was the only one other than them in the convoy, smiled at the small exchange between them. But couldn't help but feel sad for the Pokémon Watcher.

 _Ryo… I'm sorry you were dragged into these affairs…_

 ***1 Bonus points for whoever guesses who that person is.**

 ***2 I guess you can call this a support conversation? Maybe?**

 **PHEW! I'm tired! At least I finally have my OC's interacting, even if it's small. It maybe a while 'til the next chapter mainly because I'm not sure what to do next. I know I'm going to do the paralogues before Emmeryn's assassination attempt (I would do a spoiler warning, but if you're reading this story you probably played the game already) but I don't know in what order. So I'm gonna have you decide! Tell in which order these paralogues should go and why and if I like the reason then that's the order they'll go! They are as follows:**

 **Anna Paralogue (Not the Anna that joins the Shepherds, the one before her), where I plan to have a Pokémon join them.**

 **Donnel Paralogue**

 **Peaceful Village Paralogue, where I plan to have another OC (by kitsunelover) join them.**

 **Well those are the rules! Which one do you wanna see first? What order should they go? Also I plan on using ALL THREE of these so keep that in mind.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**

 **P.S. Special thanks to Punkarella for mentioning my story in his! (Or is it her? Sorry if I messed that up!)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well you guys wanted Donny's paralogue first so I decided to do it! It's been a while since last time and a lot has happened. One: we had Valentine's Day, which is also my birthday! Two: CoroCoro announced the new Pokémon Magiana! I practically squealed when I saw this! Is it Gen 7 or this Gen 6.5 that I've been hearing about? Here's hoping we know more before this story ends so I can use it (maybe?)!**

 **On with the show!**

A couple days after the incident at the border, Chrom was spending the afternoon overseeing the training of some the other Shepherds. This training in particular was a bit different since Ryo took the opportunity to help Robin and Sumia train their new Pokémon partners in basic commands.

As much as he knew they needed all the help they could get at this moment, he agreed with Emmeryn that he wished Ryo wouldn't be involved in this war; she's just a civilian. So far Chrom doesn't want her to take a life if she could help it, but her expertise on how to use Pokémon effectively would do… for now.

 _We didn't know if King Gangrel knows about Pokémon yet or even if they are showing up in Plegia. Perhaps we can use this as an element of surprise…_ Chrom thought. It would be a while before they got an official answer from Emmeryn on what to do about the situation, since the day of the incident she's been with the council discussing matters but not before telling Chrom that Ryo should be by their side at all times, just to be safe. And surprisingly was taking lessons from Maribelle and Lissa on using healing staffs, because according to Ryo she didn't want to be a "burden". His little sister surely didn't mind and neither did the troubadour, probably as thanks for help saving her.

As of now he was watching the Pokémon Watcher partake in what she calls a "Double Battle" against his tactician and pegasus knight. Ryo using Midnight and Sugar, Robin using Arthur and Sumia using her new Pidgeotto, who she named Soren. After a bit Chrom took his eyes of the battle and glanced at one of the spectators, Sibuna. That Lucario seemed to be an oddity as he wasn't attached to a particular Shepherd at the moment. He alluded to the fact that he had a trainer before but wouldn't go into details.

 _Not to mention the other day he almost called me "master". Was that just because I'm leader of the Shepherds or…?_

"HALP! HALP!" Exclaimed a heavy Southern accent interrupting his thoughts.

Chrom turned around to see a boy around Ricken's age come towards him. He wore dirt dark grey trousers, a pale blue-gray shirt and a brass pot on his head (weird huh?) that covered his curly purple hair and he looked red in the face from running so much.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and headed towards the scene.

"What's going on?" Ryo asked, clutching a healing staff in her hands.

"Halp! You gots to help us! I'm beggin' you milords!" the new arrival pleaded.

"Slow down. What happened?" asked Chrom.

"Y-Yes, milord! Right away milord! Right away milord! …Er, if it please Your Graciousness." The boy said flustered. Sibuna then walked over to him and placed a paw on his forehead, projecting a soothing wave of his aura to the boy, who was a bit scared of this creature and what it was doing but didn't object to it.

"Calm yourself with the formalities, boy. Ease your breathing…" Sibuna said calmly.

Almost sensing that he meant no harm, the boy did just that and slowly inhaled an exhaled as Sibuna lifted his paw away.

Chrom was in awe at how Sibuna handled the situation, but smiled none the less. "Thank you Sibuna."

The Lucario gave a nod in acknowledgement.

"What's your name?"

"Donny. Er, that is, Donnel... Your Majestyful. I live in the village just beyond, sir" Donnel introduced himself.

"I guess that'll do. Now what happened?"

Donnel explained to the Shepherds that a whole gang of brigands came to his village which was on a small island right off the coast and took over the place and even took some of the villagers hostage, one of the being his mother. Chrom agreed to help him, so Donnel led him to the coast where he came from.

Lissa raised a brow in confusion seeing Donnel's small rowboat. "Um… not to be rude or anything but how are gonna get across? We can't all fit in that little boat…"

Ryo (who was riding Jeb) rubbed her chin in thought and snapped her fingers as an idea came to her.

"Riptide! Yuki! Come on out!"

She threw her Pokéballs in the air and released her Carracosta and her Froslass; both unleashing cries to announce their presence.

"W-What in tarnation?!" Exclaimed Donnel in shock.

"Don't worry Donny, these creatures are friends. They're called Pokémon." Chrom assured the farm boy.

"P-Pokémon?"

Sibuna nodded. "Yes. I am a Pokémon as well. And so are they." He gestured to Arthur, Soren and Midnight. Donnel absorbed the information given to him by nodding.

"What's your plan Ryo?" Kellam asked and was ignored once again by everyone but her.

"Well I thought that some could go in Donny's boat, some on Sumia's pegasus, some with me and some to ride on Riptide's back."

"…On his back?" Ricken asked.

"Don't worry Riptide's really strong. He can carry two people on his back." Ryo said.

"Costa." Riptide grunted in response.

"But why is Yuki out?" Vaike asked.

All Ryo did was turn to the Snow Land Pokémon. "Yuki I need you to make a path of solid ice with your strongest Blizzard!"

Yuki nodded as she floated up higher and faced the ocean in front of her. She gave a big inhale as the inside of her mouth glowed a blue-white light.

"Froslass!" Yuki exhaled to unleash a strong breath of cold air and slush on the water; making it freeze on contact. When she was sure the ice was thick enough for horses and the convoy to stand on she kept going ahead of them.

"That's quite the strategy Ryo!" Robin complemented.

"Oh… it was nothing."

Everyone followed Ryo's plan and made way towards their island on their respective mounts or on foot, it was not long before dusk fell. Donny, who decided to hitch a ride with her on Jeb, couldn't really stop gawking at the Pokémon that were with them.

 _These funny lookin' critters sure somethin'!_ He thought in awe but then something clicked in his head. _I wonder if these here Pokémons are anythin' like Sue Belle…_

"REEEEP!" Shrieked a small voice as they got close to land. Donnel gasped loudly as he recognized that voice.

"What was that?" Ryo questioned at what she heard to.

"Dat was Sue Belle!" Donnel exclaimed.

"Who?"

The farm boy didn't answer as he jumped off of Jeb and ran as fast as he could towards the end of the path, ignoring she Shepherd's calls.

Donnel was in such a rush that he jumped into the shallow waters before Yuki could finish freezing the path.

"Lass?" She tilted her head in confusion.

And then out of the trees came out a small group of fur trimmed barbarians chasing what looked like a small sheep.

"Sue Belle!" Donnel called out to the sheep.

The sheep looked up and got the biggest smile on its face when it saw Donnel, until it's got grabbed from behind by one of its pursuers.

"Oy! There's the wee piglet! " Called out the man who grabbed Sue Belle.

"Reep! Mareep!" Sue Belle squealed as she tried to break free.

"L-Let 'er go, ya varmints!" He demanded trying to sound brave. All that did was make the brigands laugh at him. Sue Belle really didn't like that so it retaliated the only way it knew how.

"MAREEP!" She gave the guy holding her a Thundershock not strong enough to kill him but enough for him to let go of her.

She took the opportunity to escape from his arms and by Donnel's side.

"Why that little…?!"

"…Great. Bandits." Muttered a voice, Donnel turned around to see that it was Chrom, just arriving to shore with the others.

"What's this? Another lordling comes to watch the chattel?" The brigand laughed until his paled in realization on who this group was. "Aw damn me! Sh-Shepherds!"

"That's right. So what'll it be? Run and live? Or fight and die?"

The brigands growled at him before they retreat. Chrom sighed a bit before turning back to the farmer. "Donny, what were you thinking running off like that?"

Donnel then turned his gaze towards his feet. "Aw sorry milords. Ah was just worried that somethin' was happen' to Sue Belle."

"Sue Belle?"

"Mah pet sheep, sir."

The Shepherds finally got a look at the sheep by his feet, only to realize it was no ordinary sheep. It had blue skin, beady black eyes, yellow wool, black and yellow striped ears and equally striped tail with and orange orb at the end.

"Hey, Ryo. Is that sheep what I think it is?" Shani asked turning to the Pokémon Watcher. The rest of the group turned to her in surprise; since she has even less to say than Lon'qu this is the first time she spoke in a while.

"Uh… yeah… it is." Ryo said slowly, shocked by the whole thing too as she took out her Pokedex.

 _ **Mareep, the Wool Pokémon. An Electric Type. If static electricity builds in its body, its fleece doubles in volume. This Pokémon is native to the Johto region.**_

Donny looked at the Mareep in surprise. "So you one of 'dem Pokémons too?"

"Maaa~" Sue Belle nodded.

Frederick cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "I hate to interrupt but shouldn't we go after them?"

"R-Right!" Donnel stuttered. "Come on! Mah village is this way!"

He ran ahead with his Mareep close behind followed by the Shepherds.

 **Meanwhile…**

"…And you're sure a'this?" Asked the head bandit as the rest of the bandits came back to the old forts from the coast hunting that funny looking sheep.

"On the grave of my sainted mother's grave, I swear it! It was Chrom and his Shepherds, no mistake!"

"A fancy lord'll fetch a high ransom from noble folk. We'll have the little man squealin' for mercy in no time!" The leader laughed darkly.

"We got nothin' left to take sirs!" Begged a middle-aged woman from the crowd of hostages taken from the village. "Please, let our children go!"

All she got in response was the leader kicking her down. "Quit yer bleatin!"

"Oy, Roddick! I think this cow's the mum of the brat that ran away."

Roddick got a closer look at the woman "…Say, I know this one. You're the wife of the man what broke my rib last time we were 'ere!"

"And you killed him for it, monster! I wished he'd done you first…"

"Small wonder the brat's got more brass than brains if you're his mum." Then Roddick bore a sadistic grin on his face. "Guess we'll see for ourselves when we catch him, eh? Maybe we'll even make ya watch as we gut him!"

"N-No! Please, he's just a boy!" the woman sobbed.

 **Later…**

"This here's where they've taken up camp, Your Lordshipness." Donnel said gesturing towards the rubble of the forts.

"Er… right. Thanks Donnel. Stay close, now."

Donnel blinked in surprise. "Beg pardon, milord? You don't mean…? I…I can't fight, sir! I aint' never even struck a pig before!"

"Oh, sorry. I just assumed… I mean… Look, just stay here. You'll be fine." Chrom said.

"I wish I was strong as you sirs and madams! Kick that scum out single handed, I would!" Donny sighed, a little disappointed in himself.

"Maa!" Sue Belle nodded in agreement.

"Then you should fight and grow stronger." Chrom offered.

"But I ain't-" The farmer said until Chrom cut him off.

"No man is born a warrior, Donnel. And farm work makes for fine training- a sickle's not far from a sword after all."

He paused for a moment when Frederick handed him a bronze lance from the convoy and gave said lance to Donnel. "Bandits may be tougher than wheat, but the principle's the same."

Donnel just looked at lance at his hands and Sue Belle at his feet, who was giving him a determined look that he wouldn't expect from a normal sheep.

"Ngh… A-All right, milord. As you say, I'm no warrior, but these're my people. I gots to do what I can!"

Robin then got in the center of the group. "All right everyone! Here's the plan…"

But at that instant Shani left and headed towards the forts.

"Shani!" Robin exclaimed as the myrmidon ignored her and climbed a tree.

"Ugh… Anyway…"

Robin relayed her plan to the Shepherds and she assigned Donnel with Ryo to help him with his Pokémon and Stahl, since the two of them were inexperienced she wanted to have someone capable with them.

"Riptide use Shell Smash then follow it with Stone Edge!" Ryo commanded her Carracosta.

"Carracosta!" Riptide glowed white and then glowing red cracks came about to shatter the glow, then a blue wave of light came down lowering his Defense and Special Defense and a red wave of light came up sharply raising his Attack, Special Attack and Speed.

Then he slammed his flipper into the ground and made stone pillars with a blue aura come out of the ground from attacking brigands. Even though Ryo returned Yuki for her to rest, Riptide wanted to stay out for battle; what Ryo calls his "bashing moods".

"Golly! Dat turtle sure packs a wallop!" Donny exclaimed. But another bandit came after him until Sue Belle gave him a Thundershock giving the villager a chance to stab him in the heart.

"Reep?"

"Yes Sue Belle, you pack a wallop too." He assured his Pokémon.

The Mareep smiled with pride.

Stahl got nicked by some archers as he was cutting down some more brigands. Luckily Robin ordered Arthur to go up there and cut them down Shadow Sneak.

"Oh my gosh, are you alright Stahl?!" Ryo panicked as he saw the scratches on the cavalier, from both the arrows and the axes.

"…Yeah I'm fine Ryo. No worries." Stahl assured.

"Let me heal you at least…" She said as she made Jeb get closer to his horse and held out her staff to heal him. _Thank you Lissa and Maribelle…_

"Thanks but you should save the energy on that staff. We got vulneraries…" Said Stahl.

"Look out!"

Two more brigands came their way towards them until luckily Donnel blocked it in time with his lance and Sue Belle gave the attacker a strong Tackle to knock him on his feet for Stahl to finish him off. Jeb disarmed the second one with a Vine Whip and Midnight finished it with a Shadow Ball.

"Yup, that'll do…" Stahl said casually.

 **Meanwhile…**

Shani was jumping through the trees to get to where the hostages are kept. She saw a whole group of people being held back by several other bandits.

 _Showtime…_ She thought as she jumped right out of the tree and right on top of a brigand; stabbing him right in the neck before he could register what's going on; surprising the villagers and their captors.

"Hey!" Exclaimed another bandit before Shani gave him a quick slash to the chest, making him drop dead.

She then turned to the villagers who were looking at her with wide eyes. "Follow me!"

Maybe because they knew they were getting rescued or they just didn't want to argue with her they started to follow her until they got blocked by several archers.

"Hold right there!"

Shani kept a straight face and just when she was going to slice them to kingdom come…

"Soren use Air Slash!"

Suddenly saw blades of compressed air came out of nowhere and blasted the archers of their feet and disarming them. Before they could regain their weapons Sumia came down and stabbed some of them with a new Killer Lance she found and Shani stabbed the rest.

"Nice work Soren!" Sumia praised her Pokémon.

"Pidgeo!" Soren squawked happily.

"Are… you ok Shani?" The pegasus knight decided to take a chance and ask her, only to get a silent glare in return.

"Um… look Shani. You may not like Robin but that doesn't mean you get to do whatever you please or give the rest of us the cold shoulder." She said nervously but was starting to get a little miffed by Shani's attitude.

"The hostages are secure. That's all that matters…" Shani responded in monotone; clearly avoiding the subject as she went ahead.

Sumia sighed as she turned to the villagers with a smile "You're safe now. Stay close!"

 **Meanwhile…**

"Aura Sphere!" Sibuna blasted a thief that was scurrying the battlefield for treasure and going after him.

"Scoundrels…"

Chrom accompanied him after cutting down another barbarian to the ground. "Sibuna! Are you alright?"

"Can't complain." The Lucario shrugged. "But we're not done yet…"

He pointed to a high hill in the distance where he saw what he believed to be the leader surrounded by his last remaining archers.

"Time these castle whelps learned what us wild-born men can do! Shoot 'em down!" Roddick commanded his archers and they unleashed they're arrows towards Chrom.

"Bone Rush!"

Sibuna summoned his bone staff of energy to defend Chrom incoming arrows by spinning it.

"Thanks."

"Of course." Sibuna smiled. Just when the archers were going to fire more arrows…

Suddenly large seeds surrounded in a green aura exploded on the archers (Seed Bomb) knocking them off the hill, killing them.

They then saw Ryo riding on Jeb, with Donnel and Stahl going ahead of them and facing Roddick.

Sue Belle decided to help by making tiny balls of cotton come out of her fleece (Cotton Spore) float towards Roddick as a distraction so Donnel and Stahl get a few hits.

But somehow the head bandit regained composure and disoriented Donnel by hitting his pot-hat with his axe and gave him a hard punch in the gut that made him skid across the ground. "And stay down little piggy!"

"Donny!" Ryo exclaimed as she directed Jeb towards the farm boy.

Stahl gave a determined glare at Roddick. "You are so dead!"

Right when he was going to ride towards him Sue Belle already ran ahead. "Where you going?!"

"Reep!" Sue Belle shouted as she rammed Roddick with a Tackle attack. It was strong enough to push him back but not enough to knock him on his feet.

"Ha! Ya'll think a lil' push is enough for me?" He gloated until he felt his muscles tense up and electricity crackled throughout his body. "W-What did that lil' lamb chop do to me?!"

As Ryo healed him up, Donny looked in confusion. "What just happened?"

The Pokémon Watcher smiled slightly. "That was your Mareep's ability, Static. If she makes direct contact with an opponent there's a chance she'd paralyze 'em."

Donnel got back up and grabbed his spear with determination. "Now's ma chance!"

He ran over to his Mareep side and gave her a smile. "Thanks Sue Belle."

"Mareeeep~!" She bleated happily.

Roddick still twitched with electricity "Y-You think you can s-stop me?!"

"I sure can! Get ready!"

The two of them crossed weapons; Donnel suddenly had the upper hand with Roddick paralyzed by Static. He managed to knock the bandit over and stood on top of him.

"This is for mah home! Yeeee-haw!" Donnel exclaimed as he drove his lance through his heart killing him instantly.

 _I-it's… over…_

 **Later…**

"We…We did it! We're rid of them bandits once and for all!" Donnel cheered as Sue Belle jumped into his arms in happiness.

"A worthy first victory, Donny. You fought well." Chrom praised.

Then they heard some footsteps; they turned around to see Sumia and Shani leading Donnel's mother towards them

"Ma! Ma, it's me!" Donnel let go Sue Belle and ran right into his mother's arms; relieved to see that she was safe.

"Oh, Donny! Thank goodness you're safe! I was worried to death boy!" said Donnel's mom in between sobs. "But how did you manage to get away?"

"Thank Sue Belle, Ma. She gave me a distraction so ah can get help from these folks." Donny explained.

"Reep~!" Sue Belle squeaked hello.

His mother looked at the sheep funny for a moment before turning to her son. "Donny… is this the reason ya'll been heading to the fields more than usual?"

"Heh heh… yes." He confessed awkwardly. Truth be told he kept Sue Belle a secret from her so she wouldn't freak out by her looks. But it seemed that she saw the intelligence in Sue Belle that wasn't from a normal sheep, so she bent down some and gave her a soft pat on the head.

"Thank you Sue Belle…" She said softly. And then she turned towards the Shepherds. "And I can't thank all of you enough for savin' my son and our village, milord."

She then looked at her son. "Donny! Where are your manners?! Take a knee and thank his Lordliness!" She scolded earning some chuckles from the others.

"Er, I can't begin to repay all what you done for us, sir! Th-Thank you!" Donnel bowed to Chrom.

"You led the charge, Donny. We just picked off the stragglers. Hone your potential and use it to keep this village safe."

"W-Wait! Please!"

Chrom raised a brow at him "Something wrong?"

"I has a request, sir. If it pleases Your Graceliness… Take me with you, milord! Lemme be a Shepherd like you! I'm good with livestock, I am! Please, sir!" Donny begged

His mother looked at him in shock. "Hush now, you fool boy!"

But Donnel turned to her, looking her straight in the eye. "I want to hone my… whatever he said. I wanna keep this place safe! I never thought I was good for nothing more than shovelin' dirt… But milord showed me there's more I can do. More I needs to be doing!"

"You needs to be knowin' your place boy! A farmhand's no fit for a royal-"

"Actually, we'd be thrilled to have him." Chrom interrupted. "The Shepherds need every god man we can find, and your son fought bravely. And he won't be alone, I'm pretty sure Sue Belle would want to come along as well, am I right?"

"Mareeeep~!" Sue Belle bounced up and down with glee.

"Y-You're very kind to say as much, Your Lordshipness, but…" Donnel's mother sighed. "Well, you're a grown man now, Donny. I s'ppose you can make up your own mind.

"Aw, Ma…"

"You just come home safe, love. I'll that the village is still standin' when you return a hero." She turned back to head towards the village but saw Donnel still there.

"…Well?! Off with you, then! Glory's waitin' boy!"

"I ain't fighting for glory, Ma. I'm fighting for you! But if Sue Belle and I do find some glory, we'll be sure to bring it home for you!" He proclaimed as he hugged her one last time.

"Just come home alive, Donny…" She whispered as she let go of him and looked at the Mareep. "Take care of him, Sue Belle."

"Maaa!"

With the Shepherds newest recruits Donnel and Sue Belle, Ryo sent Yuki back out to re-freeze their ice path back to Ylisstol and Riptide somehow still had enough strength to have passengers on his back. Unbeknownst to them Shani (who was resting in the convoy) couldn't help but watch Donnel's mom as she turned back to the village and then sparing a small glance at Donnel who was in there with her.

 _Those two really lucky… unlike me…_ She thought as she fell asleep.

 **I'm a bit doubtful of this chapter's quality again mainly because I'm still new to fight scenes… Anyway the other two paralogues still need votes so keep going! But in the meantime, I have an announcement, until I know which paralogue to do next, I'm gonna be writing for my other story "The Shrunken Trainer" that I've been meaning to get back to for a while, but I haven't since it seems no one pays attention to it, I got one review (thank you PozzyP!)but I wanna see a little more attention to it so I can improve, so check it out, pwetty please? So from here on out I'm gonna go back and forth between both stories.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	9. Chapter 9

**So sorry it took so long to update! My laptop is officially dead, and since I don't have Microsoft Word on my tablet I spent months looking for something to replace it and it took me another month just to get used to it. So from here on out I'm writing all my stories with WPS Office (it still feels wierd FYI). Sorry if not much happens here, call it a test chapter for this new program I'm writing with.**

After the Sheperds have saved Donnel's village, they decided to set up camp by the water's edge before they head back to Ylisstol. Ryo thought it would be a good idea to battle Donny and his Mareep, Sue Belle, to see how well they would fight together, but she saw the Mareep's skills will need a lot more training since the only moves she knows are Tackle, Thundershock and Cotton Spore.

"Use Thundershock Sue Belle!" Donny commanded.

"Reep!" Sue Belle brayed as she shocked the Zorua in front of her. But due to Midnight being much more experienced than her she shrugged off the shock.

"Ok that's enough. So you think you got the basic idea on how Pokemon battles work Donny?" Ryo asked the farm boy.

"I... guess so... But I think we still need a lotta work, right Sue?"

"Maaa!"

"Well it's a good thing you both have each other then." Robin said as she and Arthur came towards them. "That way you both can become stronger together."

"Aw, shucks. Ya really think so Miss Robin?" Donny said sheephisly as she nodded warmly.

Hmm... It's getting dark... Maybe it's best we have some dinner and turn in for the night."

"Sure just let me check on Levi." Ryo said as she and Midnight went over to Chrom who was sparing with her Gallade. Ever since Levi asked Chrom was generous enough to practice with him; Levi was only a Gallade for a week, so he still wasn't used to the abilities his new body had and he really wanted to prove himself to Ryo, especially since she found a Mega Stone before coming to this world, but she refuses to use it until he got a better grip on his skills.

After a while Chrom managed to knock Levi off his feet, he walked over to him as he put away his sword. "Your responses are getting sharper Levi but you still leave yourself wide open. Don't waste too much time thinking what to do next and feel every strike as a part of you. Does that make sense?"

"Lade. Gallade." Levi nodded slowly.

"Hey Chrom, how's Levi doing?" Ryo asked.

Chrom smiled "Very well. Levi's a little sloppy but he's a good listener. How about next time you join us so we can mix swordplay with his Pokemon abilities?"

"Sure no problem." Ryo helped her Gallade get back on hs feet.

"One more thing Ryo..." The prince spoke as she put the sphere away. "There's a village nearby here, so we plan to restock on supplies before we head back to Ylisstol, since we are closer to it than the capital."

"Ok Chrom. Thanks for telling me..."

He nodded to her before turning away. Ryo looked around to see everyone else going towards the campfire to to cook the fish that Donnel caught before hand. Before going over their with them she sat on a log seperate from them with Midnight by her feet and Levi sitting next to her. Under her shirt she pulls out a necklace that looks like Arceus' ring and started to recite a silent prayer to herself. She was so caught up in it that she didn't notice Lissa coming to her side until she sat next to her. "Wat'cha doing?"

"L-Lissa!" The Pokemon Watcher jumped slightly. "I didn't see you there."

"Sorry about that." Lissa said with a cheeky grin. "Just making sure your alright..."

"Thanks... I guess I'm still not used the whole 'kill or be killed' mentality. N-Not that I don't understand why you do this! It's just..."

"It's scaring you." Lissa finished for her. Ryo only respond by nodding. "Hey I understand; I get scared to since I can do is stand back and heal everyone else, plus the fact that I might have to do the same one day..."

Midnight comforted Ryo blly rubbing against her legs, making her trainer pet her with one hand and holding the necklace with another.

"That's a really pretty necklace you got there." Lissa asked deciding to change the subject.

"Thanks. It's called the Alpha's Ring. I got it from place called Dahara City in Kalos, a nice family of devout Arceus followers gave it to me."

"Arceus..." Lissa mused at the name. "He's your god right?"

Ryo nodded. "I've been praying a little more than usual lately. I'm don't do this often but this calms me down as of lately."

Unbeknownst to them Shani was eavesdropping on their conversation. ** _She comes from a world more advance than ours and yet they still bow to the whims of so-called gods. Pathetic..._ ** She thought bitterly.

"Wait I don't understand. If your not the religous type, why is meeting a Legendary Pokemon your dream?" Lissa asked in confusion.

"Let me explain. My world's religion is a little different than yours." Before going to Donny's village she decided to learn about their world a little more along side her troubadour lessons. She found out that this world had many gods, like her world, though Naga and Grima seem to be the most common worship as far as she could tell. But the main difference is that here they have books dedicated to said religion alone (a "bible" if she remembered the term right) that sometimes if not most of the time tell people what they can and cannot do, the information of this worlds gods was rather... vague at best. They were no books dedicated to one of the Deity Legendaries back home, with a few exceptions, but rather stories passed down through generations, old temples and cave paintings.

"Not to mention I remember a news report years ago about Kyogre and Groudon engaged in battle in Hoenn. Good thing I was in Unova at the time but damn those images were frightening. They nearly destroyed the region if Rayquaza hadn't stopped them." Ryo said slightly shuddering at the memory of their Primal Forms only being stopped by Rayquaza mega evolving but at the same time she was stricken with awe. If anything it only strengthened her dream even further.

"Groudon?"

"Kyogre?"

"Rayquaza?"

Ryo looked up to see a couple of other Shepherds (namely Robin, Chrom and Sumia) with fish on shish kebabs joining them. Sibuna who was listening in decided to answer.

"Groudon is the God of the Land, Kyogre is the Goddess of the Sea and Rayquaza is the God of the Skies."

Ryo nearly balked at what the Lucario said. "Wait, wait, wait. Back up a second. Kyogre ...is a she?"

"Yes and no." Noticing Ryo's confused expression he explained further. "You see, at least according to what my parents have told me that while most Legendary and Mythical Pokemon are technically genderless the usually refer themselves as one to simplify things. That's what all young Pokemon are told."

"So you guys knew that the whole time?!" The Pokemon Watcher exclaimed to her Pokemon, who nodded in response. "And you didn't think about telling me?!"

Levi simply shrugged and Midnight gave a teasing laugh.

Ryo sighed a bit _Guess I can't be too mad since I can't understand them_... She thought.

"Would you two mind telling us more over dinner?" Robin offered gesturing towards the camp fire.

...

Everyone was gathered by the camp fire with their food on hand (including all of Ryo's Pokemon who were out of their balls so she could feed them) as Ryo decide to tell them about the Legendary Pokemon (at least those with major roles).

"I've already told you guys about Arceus, but for those of us weren't their for that conversation..." She gestured to Donny and Shani. "The short version is Arceus, also known as the Original One was born in a place their was nothing and shaped the world, or at least my world"

She then showed them that mosaic painting of Arceus in her legends book. Donnel and Sue Belle looked interested but Shani just rolled her eyes. Like she didn't believe her. It rubbed Ryo the wrong way but kept her composure to continue.

"After some time he created three powerful Dragon Pokemon, each filling a specific role..." She paused for moment to see Shani made an even deeper scowl than usual. Was it something she said...?

"Dialga, the God of Time, Palkia, the God of Space and Giratina the God of Antimatter..." She turned a page to another mosaic of a four legged blue dragon, a bipedal pink dragon and a sinister looking black dragon.

Seeing Giratina... unerved a lot of the Shepherds until Kellam shyly raised his hand. "Um... what exactly do you mean by 'space'?"

While his question went unheard by the others, Ryo scratched the back of her head, thinking of how to explain that. "Um... well. You know stars, right?" Everyone nods. "Every star, every planet, every little thing floating miles and miles above our heads right now is at his command."

"Whoa..." Everyone was impressed at the information (well Lon'qu only widened his eyes very slightly). Shani on the other hand scoffed at the thought, got up from her perch and walked away.

 _What's her problem?_ Ryo thought narrowing her eyes at the myrmidon.

"Can you also explain this 'antimatter' you speak of?" Miriel spoke up writing down everything she could in her notes.

"Well... I'm not an expert on that, but basically antimatter is the opposite of matter, which is everything thing around us, it's theorized that matter and antimatter are made at the same time they can't be together or else it could become pure energy. In other words... explode."

Sibuna, who was silent for a while decided to jump in. "Because of this violent nature Giratina was banished to the Distortion World, a dimension of pure antimatter, where he is the ruler and sole inhabitant to hone his power."

Frederick narrowed his eyes somewhat at the statement. "If it wasn't for the banishment, this 'Giratina' would sound a lot like the fell dragon..."

This made the Lucario shake his head, being told about Grima while they were still in Ylisstol. "No... Giratina is not an evil being. My mother once told me a story of how my great grandfather and his master accidentally ended up in the Distortion World. You see, the way to get to Giratina's realm is through reflective surfaces, like say a mirror or a body of water, and only Giratina, his two siblings and Arcues himself could open the gateway. The two accidentally fell in a portal while Giratina was going back. In those times the Lord of Antimatter was thought to be evil, but it turns out he was an understanding individual. While Giratina will fight tooth and nail to protect his realm he realized that my great grandfather and his trainer meant no harm and let them go."

"Wow..." Ryo breathed, excited at this information. "What was Giratina doing out of the Distortion World in the first place?"

"He was drinking water." Sibuna sad nonchalantly. "Apparently the lake they were at was Giratina's favorite drinking spot."

Everyone sweatdroped at hearing that large sinister dragon, a god no less, was doing something so ...innocent.

"Anyway... let's move on." Ryo said awkwardly.

She and Sibuna gave the group a quick explanation on the Lake Guardians, and how they brought emotion, knowledge and willpower to sentient beings and a slightly more detailed explanation of the Weather Trio. Ryo was starting to enjoy sharing what she knew to others who found her culture new and strange, but maybe not as much as hearing Sibuna fill in some blanks. It was like she was learning something that only Pokemon knew.

But when she just finished talking about Mew, Chrom put a hand on her shoulder. "As much as I would love to hear more, we need to turn in for the night. Perhaps we can continue this another time."

He got a couple boos from the others but Ryo raised an arm in defense. "No, no. He's right guys, we really need to hit the hay." She said ending with a loud yawn as she returned her Pokemon, minus Midnight. As everyone else started to head back to their tents Kellam stood in front of her for a moment.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask. How come Midnight never goes into her... Pokeball" He questioned, still getting used to the term.

"Remember when I said that they're some Pokemon that don't like Pokeballs? Midnight's one of them." Ryo explained and her Zorua nodded as well.

"Ah... I see. Well goodnight."

"You too."

As the Pokemon Watcher turned away, Kellam remembered that he still left his fish half eaten. He was about to grab it when he saw the stick with his fish floating slightly in midair, nearby a floating red zigzag pattern.

"What the?!

...

In an area far away from the others but still close enough to the tents Shani was blowing off steam by practicing her sword slices on dead tree. She wasn't sure how much longer she would've lasted in that sitting, just the very mention of gods (doesn't matter if they're considered good or bad) made her sick with rage. After a really strong swing that finally cut the log in half, she smirked with satisfaction, though it was unseen because of the high collar of her sweater, until she felt another presence behind her.

"What do you want, Ryo?" She questioned suddenly.

Ryo flinched slightly at the mention of her name but surprisingly kept her composure.

"What the heck was that?" Ryo asked back.

"What was what?"

"Don't play dumb Shani. I'm talking about how you acted when I was talking about the Legendaries." The purple haired trainer said accusingly.

"Hmph. And here I thought you were above such fairytales." Shani spat back.

"Fairytales?!" Ryo exclaimed angrily. "Legendary and Mythical Pokemon are real! I may not have seen one up close but I know they do exist!"

Shani suddenly got very close to her face. Ryo's bravado left briefly as she yelped for a moment.

"You're the least unbearable among this group next to that farm boy, so I'll give you some advice. If you want to survive, stop relying on gods. Because even if they do exist, who gives them the damn right to tell us what to do?"

Shani proceeded to walk away from her and spoke again. Not sounding angry, just... tired. "The sooner people realize that, they'll realize their lives will much better off."

Midnight angrily growled at the myrmidon, but Ryo just stood there dumbfounded. _W-What just happened?_

Shani went back to her tent, after quickly looking around to see if anyone was around she went inside. Lying on her back she rummaged through her cloak and pulls out what looks like a small stuffed black cat, though it's looked like it's seen better days. It was missing a button eye and had several stitches. Shani hugged it close to her chest and started to cry quietly.

 **Meanwhile...**

"Those were pretty impressive tales you and Ryo told us back there, Sibuna." Chrom complemented the Lucario before turning in.

"Thank you. It was fun. I haven't told stories around a campfire since..." Sibuna trailed off a bit.

"You were with your former master?" Chrom finished for him, making Sibuna flinch in the process. "Sibuna, I understand if you don't want to talk about it but I'll be lying if I said I wasn't curious."

"It's ok... You have been kind enough to allow me into your circle. I suppose I owe you an explanation." He released a small sigh. "My former trainer Felix was an Aura Guardian. Those are humans can manipulate auras almost as well as a Pokemon of my species can. But they are very few of them right now compared to ancient times, in fact the only place you'll be lucky to find one is in my native region, Sinnoh."

"Interesting. But what happened to Felix?"

Sibuna lowered his head a bit. "We were helping a group of Pokemon Rangers, who were trying to escort a group of Pokemon Cranidos back into the wild. We halfway to their new home when we were blindsided by a gang of poachers. They were skilled but we managed to hold or own until the leader pulled out a Magmortar, a Fire-type Pokemon, it kept attacking me and and attacking me, even after I fainted, or so I'm told. You see this is why we have to stop battling when the opponent Pokemon faints, because afterwards we're easier to kill. Next thing I remember was waking up in a Pokemon Center, that's a place to heal us, the Rangers told me that they saved the Cranidos and arrested the poachers but I was at death's door when they brought me there and I almost didn't make it..."

The Fighting/Steel type paused for a moment almost choking on his words. "I asked where Felix was... they said he was using all of his aura to keep me alive until we reached the Center for five miles... he was already dead when they arrived."

Chrom was surprised, to put it midly. From what he understood about aura, what that it was some sort of life force; Sibuna's master gave up literally his life force to make sure he survived. _If that is not devotion I don't know what is..._

"To make things worse, Felix's family blames me for his death. How was I supposed to know he would do something like that?! I couldn't take their hatred anymore so I fled to Iron Island, a small island of the northern coast, so I could collect my thoughts..." Sibuna finally stopped his rant when realized tears were starting to come out.

Feeling embarrassed he wiped the away with his paw. "I-I'm sorry Chrom... I didn't mean to go off like that..."

The prince shook his head and put a firm hand on Sibuna's shoulder. "You shouldn't apologize Sibuna, I understand. You needed to get it off your chest."

Sibuna remained silent for a moment.

"I've been meaning to ask though... Before we went to rescue Maribelle, why did you almost call me master?"

Sibuna cheeks went red with embarrassment (which was so ulike the serious Lucario)."Oh... well... You remind me a lot of Felix. Both in aura and in personalities... it just slipped out."

Chrom gave a light chuckle at the answer. "Really now? I know I can never replace your master, but you're a fellow Shepherd now, Sibuna. If you ever feel like you need a friend, I'll be eager listen, ok?"

The Lucario gave him a heartfelt smile at his words. "I would like that very much."

The next morning...

Ryo barely got any sleep, she kept waking up thinking about Shani's words last night. Every part of her wanted to be angry with the other woman, but at the same time she couldn't (though she was still a bit miffed). Ryo knew she said that out of spite, but somehow towards the end of their conversation she felt that spite was towards this world's gods, not her own and gears were turning in head trying to think of the reason.

 _Something's up with that girl... And I'm gonna get to bottom of it._ She thought with determination. But her thoughts broke when she heard brisk shuffling outside, along with crumpling paper and a lot of Shepherds laughing like crazed Zoruas. No offense to Midnight.

She got out of her tent, waking Midnight up in the process, to see Chrom looking red in face, Lissa and several others laughing loudly, Sumia and Maribelle blushing madly, Shani looked like she wanted to throw up and Frederick looking really confused at the situation.

"What's goin' on?" Ryo said in a groggy voice.

"Look at what Frederick hung up by our tents!" Lissa exclaimed out of breath, taking one of the papers in her brother's hand, while ignoring his desperate attempt to get it back, and showed her a picture that instantly took away the drowsiness.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

 **I'm not sure of this chapter's quality, I thought I'd use it to establish on my OCs a little more. Also a lot of things in Pokemon are left unexplained so don't be surprised if you see a few headcanons in this story. The next chapter will be the Peaceful Village Paralouge so stay tuned.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**

 **P.S. Who's excited for Sun and Moon?!**

 **P.S.S. Anyone else read my other story The Shrunken Trainer yet? Cuz I was lucky I updated that one before my laptop went kaput.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again! Time for another chapter! I think it would be a good time to say although I may more may not to be able to write every support conversation in this story I may make a few nods to them depending if they will fit. Also even though not every Shepherd will get big speaking rolls, they are there unless stated otherwise.**

"IN THE NAME OF DECENCY FREDERICK! WHY WOULD YOU HANG PICTURES OF CHROM NAKED?!" Ryo ranted as they rode to the next village after they ate their rations. She rode on Jeb but kept looking away from Chrom as much as possible to try and get that image out of her head.

"I was merely trying to boost the army's morale, miss Ryo." Frederick said in his defense. "If I it would provoke such a reaction..."

"Gods I've never been more embarrassed. I'm SO sorry you had to see that..." Chrom apologized for the umpteenth time; his face just as red as Ryo's and a few others. But Lissa, Vaike, Sully even Midnight and Arthur still had the giggles. And Shani was WAY in the back of the group keeping her face hidden with her hood, her expression was unreadable. She was the only one who reacted radically different from the others in regards to the poster (She looked afraid and awfully close to vomiting).

 _Maybe Sibuna had a point about there's something off about Shani, let's hope this doesn't make her hate us even more than she already does..._

"As dedicated as you are Frederick might I advice doing less... drastic?" Sibuna suggested. "That isn't exactly something you want to wake up to..."

"But... Pokemon don't wear clothes..." Frederick added in confusion.

"Well we look good without them. Humans, not so much." Sibuna stated bluntly, earning a couple chuckles from the other Shepherds.

As Ryo kept looking away she noticed Kellam kept looking behind him every once and a while. Mostly towards the ground. "Something wrong Kellam?"

The knight jumped a bit, still not used to having anybody notice him so quickly, but shook it off. "Well... this might sound crazy, but I saw the wierdest thing last night, before I turned in."

"Weird how?"

Kellam was silent for a moment, but decided to answer. "It... was a... floating red zigzag stripe..."

He almost expected her to dismiss what he said as his eyes plaing tricks on him but instead she answered...

"Oh you probably saw a Kecleon."

"A... Kecleon?" He parroted.

She responded the question by taking out her Pokedex, pressing a few buttons until she got the entry, revealing a picture of a bipedal chameleon-like Pokemon with a red zigzag pattern on it's belly.

 _ **Kecleon, the Color Swap Pokemon. A Normal Type. This Pokemon is able to change it's colors at will to blend in with it's surroundings. There is one exception- it cannot change the zigzag pattern on it's belly. This Pokemon is native to the Hoenn region.**_

"That's what I saw? Another Pokemon?"

"Most likely." Ryo said as she put away her Pokedex.

"Pidgeo!" Soren squawked as he flew towards the Shepherds. Sumia sent him off to scout the area earlier, but he was coming back looking scared.

Sumia realized this and called up to her Pidgeotto. "What's wrong Soren?"

"Pidgeo! Pidgeotto!" He responded frantically as he flew around in circles, gesturing the group to follow him.

"He's saying something is wrong in the village up ahead!" Sibuna translated in shock.

Not wasting anytime Chrom turned to towards the others. "Shepherds, let's move!"

Unbeknownst to them a certain semi-invisible Pokemon was watching them.

 **Later...**

As everyone rode as fast as they could, following Soren towards the village. Before they even stopped however Frederick saw what got the Bird Pokemon so riled up.

"Milord, look! Risen!" The knight pointed in front of them.

"Ugh, and there's a village just ahead. Come on!" Chrom grimaced as they rode even faster.

Ryo scanned the landscape as she noticed the villagers outside trying to get through the closed gates and something caught her eye that made her jaw drop. "No way..."

She saw a glasses wearing brown haired girl among the villagers, maybe a few years younger than she was, but that's not what caught her attention. What did was the fact that she was wearing modern clothes, wearing military green shorts, a light blue shirt with rolled up sleeves, brown boots.

"Guys! That girl's from my world! She has a Pokemon team!" Ryo exclaimed pointing at the girl.

Robin's eyes widened "What?! Are you certain Ryo?"

"Positive!"

"Hmm... The townsfolk of this village are renowned for their hospitality. How could they turn away refugees fearing for their lives?" Frederick said incredulously.

"Let's just focus on saving those lives first. We can ask questions later." Chrom responded. "Robin any ideas?"

"Well..."

Shani didn't even bother waiting for her to finish and ran straight ahead towards the battlefield.

"*Sigh* Why am not surprised...?"

 **Meanwhile...**

 _Oh man, oh man, oh man... I didn't think they're would be a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! But it's actually happening!_ Jackie Hart panicked at what was going on before her eyes. Being an independent researcher (archeologist to be exact) and former competitive trainer she should be behaving more rationally. But to Jackie, if it has something to do with zombies, logic gets thrown out the window.

However it was still present enough to try and protect these villagers who found her.

"Come on out Aria, Talvian and Richter!"

She tossed her Pokeballs to let out her Clefable, Charizard and Rhydon respectively, but that only seemed to scare the villagers even more.

"More m-monsters?! I can't take this!" Said one man and all three of the villagers make mad dash away from them.

What he said startled Jackie. Have they never seen Pokemon before?

"W-Wait! What are you doing?"

But it was too late as a Risen pegasus knight (even the freaking pegasus was a zombie!*1) caught sight of them and flew at high speed; thrusting it's spear straight at the chest on one them.

"Talvian use Dragon Claw!"

Jackie's Charizard roared with fury as his claws surround themselves with green energy. He took off like a bullet at the zombie and repeatedly slashed it to destroy it and make it retract its spear from the man's chest. Jackie ran over to him to try and stop the bleeding.

"Come on... Come on..." She muttered frantically. But it was too late, he was losing to much blood too quickly until ultimately... he died.

"No..." She whispered in shock.

While she was paralyzed with shock at what happened, she didn't notice another zombie this time with sword coming towards her.

"Clefable!" Aria cried out for her trainer as Richter tried to keep the other men from leavinng and ran towards her but then...

"Arthur use Shadow Sneak and follow it with Slash!"

"Honedge!"

The trainer was surprised to see an usheathed Honedge fly out of nowhere as used it's shadow to incapacitate the zombie and quickly cut of it's head with it's glowing sword body. And afterwards flying back to a white haired girl in a black and purple robes on the other side of a nearby river.

"W-What?" Jackie stuttered, not noticing her Clefable was by her side already.

"Are you alright?!" Called out a male voice.

She looked up to a blue haired man sword at his waist along side the girl with the Honedge.

"Oh, thank goodness you've come! Are you here to help us?" One of the villagers asked with hope.

He nodded before continuing "We'll hold them off! Run!"

"But don't worry about the animals, they are allies!" The white haired girl added.

"U-understood! If we make it out alive, I'll repay you! I swear!" The villager stuttered.

"Hey Talvian! Cover them until we get rid of the zombies! Jackie called out to her Charizard.

Talvian roared in agreement and flew over the villagers as they ran. But Jackie couldn't help but be puzzled at what the other girl said. She called the Pokemon 'animals'. She knows for a FACT that other than some livestock and smaller fauna like fish and insects, all other animals died out when Pokemon became more dominant.

She had a Honedge with her, even called out it's attacks. So... shouldn't she know what Pokemon are? She thought in confusion.

Suddenly she saw another girl with hair purple hair and highlights riding a Gogoat across the bridge as several more zombies came their direction. What surprised her was that she was wearing modern clothing and not medieval ones.

"Jeb use Bulldoze and Midnight use Shadow Ball!"

The girl's Gogoat slammed his front hooves on the ground to make the earth shake strong enough to crack the ground and topple the undead and the Zorua that was on her shoulder lept up in the air and unleashed blobs of shadowy energy to destroy them.

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?!" She exclaimed, taking out some sort of staff as she saw Jackie's hands covered in blood.

"H-Huh...? Yeah, I'm fine. T-This blood isn't mine, it's..." Jackie said as she turned to the dead body.

The other girl's face started to turn white when she laid eyes on the corpse. "O-Oh..."

"W-What's going on here? Where am I and how come no one seems to know what Pokemon are?" Jackie asked her rapidly since she seems to be only one who's a Pokemon trainer other than herself.

"Look I get that you must have a lot of questions but let's wait until all the Risen are gone."

"R-Risen? You mean the zombies?"

The other trainer nodded. "Think you can help me and my friends out?"

"O-Of course! Richter, cross the river and help out anyone that isn't a zombie!"

Richter grunted a response and headed straight for the river.

"But... that bridge isn't gonna hold a Rhydon..." The purple haired trainer said in confusion.

As if answering her confusion Richter didn't even go to the bridge and jumped into the water: and it was swimming!

"You have a swimming Rhydon?!"

All Jackie did was nod as she mustered a small smile.

 **Meanwhile...**

 _Hmm... a swimming Rhydon. Haven't seen one of those in a while..._ Sibuna thought casually as he cleared a path of Risen for Chrom to get to the village with Bone Rush and the Rhydon washed away a few archer Risen with the giant wave that was Surf.

"Sibuna look out!" Chrom shouted as a Risen Pegasus Knight came towards them.

"On it!" The Lucario replied as he disolved his bone staff into his most famous attack "Aura Sphere!"

After blasting the airbone Risen out of the sky the prince and Pokemon pair made it to the closed village gates. "Keep an eye out for any Risen." Said Chrom. Sibuna nodded as he turned his back to him to stand guard.

"Hello! Anyone there?! This is Chrom, leader of the Shepherds! Open the gates!" Chrom exclaimed as he pounded the gates as hard as he could. After a moment the doors opened slightly to reveal an old man.

"Really? Shepherds are always welcome here. Please, take this with you." He said as he handed Chrom a small orange stone, with a blue and red stripe down the middle. "I don't really know what it is, but I can tell this marble has some sort of power..."

"Listen. There were refugees here and you turned them away. Why?" Chrom asked after eyeing the stone curiously and pocketing it.

The old man sighed heavily "We're a peaceful town, sir. We have no weapons, nor any want for them. We survive by barring our gates to those who might bring us harm—friend or foe. Harsh as it may be, I can't have my people dying on account of other folks' problems..."

Chrom remained stoic at the answer but on the inside he was saddened and even a little angry by it. He understood being cautious but turning a blind eye to someone in trouble...

"What kind of pathetic excuse is that?!"

Wait, what?

Chrom, Sibuna and the village elder turned to see Shani stabbing and another Risen without even looking at it, instead kept her livid gaze on the old man as she angrily made her way towards the gate, moving Chrom out of the way

"They wanted, no scratch that- they NEEDED sanctuary within your walls and away from these monters but you kept them out because 'it's not your problem'?! Well guess what, one of them got killed because you didn't let them in!" Shani pointed to the dead body across the river. Chrom's jaw dropped at what she was doing but became surprised when he saw what looked like tears forming in her eyes.

"That's your definition of 'peace'?! Pah! More like 'Cowerdice'! It may not be your problem but that death is on YOUR HEAD! How's that for peace?!" Shani growled at the cowering old man in front of her and stomped away to take out her anger on more Risen.

Chrom turned back to the old man who was shaking like a leaf at the myrmidon's words; whether from fear of Shani's preditory gaze or her tactless but not completely wrong rant he couldn't tell. Either way he closed the door before he could apologize.

 _W-What in Naga's name was that? As much as I didn't agree with the elder, she didn't have to go berserk like..._ Chrom's thoughts paused for a moment. . _..Like she was the one being turned a blind eye... I might have to talk to her once this is over, I can't have her snapping at everybody._

"Force Palm!"

Chrom focus snapped back as he saw Sibuna taking care of a heavily armored knight Risen with with the placed on it's chest unleashing a concentrated yellow blast. He charged towards it to give it a killing blow.

"Thanks Chrom, they are still a few more Risen up ahead."

"Got it. Let's go!"

As the two ran Sibuna suddenly felt a small tug in his aura, coming from... Chrom's pocket?

...

"Midnight use Night Daze!" Ryo commanded.

The Zorua ran towards a group of Risen an engulfed them in a devastating explosion of dark energy. Those that didn't get dissolved their new friend took care of.

"Aria use Moonblast! Rapid fire!" Jackie exclaimed.

Her Clefable gained a battle ready look as it looked like she took energy from the moon itself and turned it into multiple pink energy spheres; blasting any remaining Risen.

"Clefable!" Aria gave out a battle cry in satisfaction.

"Wow, your Clefable is really strong!" Ryo complemented.

"Thanks your Zorua is too..." Jackie returned the complement until she saw a pegasus knight Risen heading towards her Charizard and the other two villagers.

"Talvian quick! Use Flamethrower!"

Talvian unleashed a stream of hot flames on the flying Risen, while it did it's job it attracted a couple archers.

"Oh no!"

"Sue Belle slow 'em down with Cotton Spore!"

"Soren use Quick Attack!"

Donny's Mareep used her fleece to release streaming balls of cotton to slow down the zombies as Sumia's Pidgeotto flew at high speeds leaving a white streak behind him to disarm them of their arrows. The strategy gave their respective trainer openings to stab them out of existence.

"Are you alright Ryo?" Sumia asked the Pokemon watcher from on top of her mount.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks Sumia." Ryo assured.

"Whoa..." Was all Jackie could say.

"Are y'all alright missy?" Donnell asked the new girl, not taking his eyes of her still bloody hands.

"Uh... yeah I'm fine. Just... shaken is all." She said as she kept glancing back at man she couldn't save in time.

"Are all the Risen gone, yet?" Ryo ask deciding to change the subject for Jackie's sake.

"Almost, all that's left is the leader. Robin and Arthur are going after it." Sumia explained.

Ryo looked behind them to see the tactician and her Honedge facing down the lead Risen but then saw another figure in bulky armor join them.

"Oh good Kellam's with them" Ryo sighed in relief.

"Who?" Donny said tilting his head in confusion.

 _Oh good Alpha above..._ She sighed inwardly.

...

"Don't worry, I'm here to help!" Kellam said with determination.

Robin suddenly turned to him and jumped when she saw him. "Oh Kellam! I didn't see you there!"

"Anyway, do you think your up for the challenge?"

"Yes, they gotta notice this!"

The two parried blows against the chief Risen, with Arthur using multiple Fury Cutters to wear it down; each hit landing thanks to his No Guard ability. But after a while they were getting winded.

"Alright let's end this!" Robin commanded.

"Right!" Kellam replied.

He threw his Javelin at the Risen, only for it to dodge and knock the knight off his feet really hard.

"Kellam!"

The blank faced man tried to get back on his feet but the Risen was already approaching. Robin hurriedly tried to bring out a fire tome, but a small green figure speed past her.

"What the?!"

"Kecleon!" The Color Swap Pokemon cloaked it's tiny fist in an orange light (Power-Up Punch) and punched the Risen in the face. After getting cloaked in a rising red aura, raising it's attack stat, the Risen took it's eyes of Kellam and made it's way towards the chameleon.

No...! Kellam thought in despair for the Pokemon but right when the Risen's sword made contact it disappeared in a puff off smoke (Substitute).

What? He thought in confusion until he saw a certain floating zigzag stripe.

"Kec!" Kecleon reappeared behind him a gave a strong slash of shadowy energy (Shadow Claw) straight towards the chest, killing it instantly. Once the Risen dissolved he walked towards Kellam and tilted his head in curiosity.

"It's you again..." Kellam stated as he got back up.

Kecleon nodded his head in response.

"Are you alright Kellam?" Robin questioned.

"Hone?" Arthur asked too.

A little surprised she could still notice him, he absent mindedly nodded. "Y-Yes. Thanks to Kecleon here."

"Kec." Kecleon confirmed blankly as he tilted his head at Robin.

"Kecleon... is this another Pokemon? How do you know what it is?"

"Ryo told me. Let me explain..."

 **Later...**

After the Risen are all gone, Lissa, Maribelle and Ryo healed everyones wounds, Jackie got the blood off her hands and they gave the downed villager a proper burial, one of the remaining two turned towards Chrom.

"I've not the words to thank you, nor the treasure to pay you, but...here. Take this Strength Tonic. I didn't think people like you still existed. I'll...I'll never forget this."

Then he turned an apologetic gaze at Jackie. "I'm also sorry about running from your... companions miss. If only we realized sooner that they meant no harm maybe he would've lived through this..."

"Clefable, Clefable!" Aria scolded which roughly translates to 'Yeah you got that right!' but since it was inappropriate Sibuna didn't translate, Richter gave a snort and Talvian smacked her on the head with his tail.

Before things got out of hand Jackie shook her head "No it's ok... I shouldn't have assumed you knew about Pokemon."

"It's neither of your faults..." Shani surprisingly said as everyone turned their heads towards her. "Blame those damn hypocrites at village for not letting you in. If they have this whole tragedy would've been avoided."

Everyones eyes widened at her words. Both because she seemed to take this a bit too personally and the fact that, well... everyone agreed with what she said. But they held their tongues for one reason or another.

"Well..." The survivor and his friend mustered a sad smile. "I suppose we'll never know..."

As the two left, Frederick cast his gaze onto the still closed off village. "Do you suppose the village will continue to bar its gates to refugees?"

Chrom sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "As long as they view the Risen as someone else's problem, then yes."

That fact made Frederick shake his head. "They claim to love peace... Yet the uneasy peace found behind a barricade is nothing I'd want. Peace begins when the fighting is over and the barricades come down. I pray they can see the truth of that before it's too late..."

Shani scoffed "Save your breath, knight. Praying is a waste of time and energy, in more ways than one."

"Now listen here..." Before Frederick could finish Chrom put an arm in front him.

"Shani, a question. Why did you say all those things to the village elder? I'm not saying your wrong but maybe you should've worded less harshly?"

"Hmph. Because that's how the world is: harsh. Your not gonna get anywhere by sugar coating the truth or relying on 'gods' to help you." Shani's voice turned into a low whisper. "I could care less about who you are, even if you do everything right, life will always bite you in the ass one way or another."

Shani... Ryo thought giving the myrmidon a slightly sad look.

"Are you speaking from experience?" Chrom decided to ask.

Suddenly her gaze turned feral again. "That's none of your business! And I would strongly advise you to never ask again!"

Shani huffed and walked away, but not before feeling a sword behind her back. She turned around slowly to see Frederick was the one responsible for it and most of the Shepherds having shocked expressions.

"F-Frederick?!" Lissa stammered.

"Frederick think about what are you doing!" Chrom tried to reason.

"Apologies milord and milady, but this woman needs to learn some manners. Khan Flavia may have put you with us but we could have you locked up back in Ylisstol for this disrespect." Frederick warned hoping it would be enough to scare her.

But instead she kept that dead stoic gaze she always wore. "Well what's stopping you? Or here's a better idea, you can just cut me down. Right here, right now."

That statement made the knight's eyes widen. "I have a sword pointed at you neck, I can kill you right now and this doesn't faze you? At all?"

"Nope. Unless you were bluffing right now, I have no objections to dying." Shani replied. Robin kept reading her expression and words to see if she was bluffing only to realize that the myrmidon was **dead serious**.

Utterly baffled by this development Frederick lowered his sword, only for Shani to look disturbingly disappointed by his decision. "You were bluffing after all... *Sigh*" Shani just walked away and into the convoy waggon.

Everyone just stood dumbfounded at what happened. That moment taught them a little more about Shani than they bargained for. It was like she didn't see the point of living anymore; she was practically begging to die. No one really knew how to respond to that.

"Well... uh... that was heavy." Jackie said breaking the awkward silence.

That broke everyone out their stupor; Chrom was the first to speak "I apologize that you have to witness that miss..."

"Jacqueline Hart. But you can call me Jackie." She said as she gestured to her Pokemon. "And this is Aria, Talvian and Richter."

The Pokemon made cries in acknowledgement. Seeing that they probably didn't know what they were she took out her Pokedex and pointed it at her Pokemon starting with Aria.

 _ **Clefable, the Fairy Pokemon. A Fairy Type. Clefable moves by skipping lightly as if it were flying using its wings. Its bouncy step even lets it walk on water. It is known to take strolls on lakes on quiet, moonlit nights. This Pokemon is native to the Kanto region.**_

 _ **Charizard, the Flame Pokemon. A Fire/Flying Type. Charizard flies around the sky in search of powerful opponents. It breathes fire of such great heat that it melts anything. However, it never turns its fiery breath on any opponent weaker than itself. This Pokemon is native to the Kanto region.**_

 _ **Rhydon, the Drill Pokemon. A Rock/Ground Type. Its brain developed when it began walking on hind legs. Its thick hide protects it even in magma. This Pokemon is native to the Kanto region.**_

"Wow! You have a Pokedex too! Does that mean your from Ryo's world too?" Lissa asked.

"I-I guess." Jackie replied, unsure herself. Ryo told her that they might be in a different world that didn't have Pokemon but they were slowly starting to appear.

"I-I don't know how I got here. Unless..." She suddenly gasped as she remembered something. "The Unown!"

"The... Unown?" Robin parroted back.

Jackie turned her attention back to them. "If you allow it maybe I can explain..."

 **1* For those Risen I'm making the mounts zombies too. It's just easier that way**

 **Well that's it! The next chapter will be the first Anna paralogue before we get to the Emmeryn's assassination attempt. I also wouod like to thank kitsunelover for letting me use her OC Jackie for this story (hope I did her justice...) and I'll introduce the rest of team next, kay? Also at first I wasn't planning on Kecleon showing up now but it just happened anyway *squee*! If I'm gone for a while that's because I'm writing for my other story "The Shrunken Trainer" (that's finally getting a little more attention!) and like I said before I'm gonna go back and for the between this story and that one just to be more clear.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**

 **P.S. Should I make the dead people become Risen too, like the typical zombie? If so how?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Heeeeeeeeeyyyy~! It's me again! This chapter is super long but I'm pretty... iffy on the quality. You guys will tell me right?**

 **Johto Region, the day before...**

The Ruins of Alph, one of the several abandoned temples that are home of the mysterious Pokemon Unown. At the moment Jackie was studying the ancient hieroglyphics in one of the ruins deeper levels (after moving a tile puzzle triggering a trap door) taking pitcures and having her Pokegear on the radio setting to listen for the Unown, thinking that maybe she could spot one. That and she thought the tune was catchy.

"This is amazing..." Jackie said to herself as she let her hands run through the walls "But I think I should call it a day." Then suddenly usual tune from radio stopped.

"Huh?" She said as she put away her camera and started to hit her Pokegear. to make it work again. When suddenly an ear-piercing sound screeched through the radio.

"ARRGHH! WHAT THE HELL?!" Exclaimed Jackie as she nearly dropped her device to cover her ears.

Then a large horde of Unown flew right passed her... as if they were trying to escape something.

"W-What's going on?" She thought in a panic, which only increased when she saw a large portal sucking everything, including several unlucky Unown, like a strong vacuum.

Not wasting a second Jackie tried to get away, but the suction was too strong. So much so that it swept her off her feet as she screamed and pulled her in.

As the portal closed the remaining Unown looked at where their friends dissapeared and where that human once stood.

They then began to unleash panicked electromagnetic waves to contact with a certain legendary.

"Alpha... problem... big problem!"

 **Present day...**

"...And that's what happened." Jackie finished her story as she and the Shepherds (though they had no clue to what a "radio" was) they stopped little further away from the previous village so they can rest for a little bit before continuing on later.

Ryo's jaw hung open like a Magikarp's at her story. "That's eerily similar to how I got here! But I was at the Snowpoint Temple and I never saw a portal. All I saw was a bright light..."

She then turned to her Zorua. "Did you see a portal, Midnight?"

Midnight shook her head. It all happened so fast that she didn't really see anything but a flash.

Robin rubbed her chin in thought. "Maybe you two are here because you both were in historical landmarks?"

"I doubt it." Sibuna spoke up (ignoring Jackie's expression of wonder). "Before arriving at this place I was on Iron Island and despite being an abandoned mine it's pretty mundane compared to those places."

"Hone!/Pidgeo!/Reep!/ Kec!" Arthur, Soren, Sue Belle and that very Kecleon who saved Kellam (who he promptly named Camo) and never left cried out to get the Lucario's attention.

"Oh? What is it?" He said as he heard the other Pokemon's cries one after the other; nodding his head every so often. "I see..."

"What?" Chrom prodded.

"They were just telling where they were living before they got sucked up. Arthur was still living in the gardens of Parfum Palace with his other fallen comrades and their children in Kalos, Soren was escaping a Fearow over a forest in Kanto, Sue Belle was grazing in a simple field in Johto and Camo was just napping in a tree in the Hoenn Safari Zone." Sibuna explained. "Every one of those places, are as ordinary as you can get."

"So much for that theory..." Robin sighed a bit. But then thought of something. "Just out of curiosity, what exactly are the Unown? You mentioned them earlier but what are they?"

"One sec..." Jackie said as she took out her Pokedex an searched for the entry (she managed to get it because of a pretty curious small group Unown was floating outside the ruins rather than in it). When she found it she pressed the button for everyone to hear.

 _ **Unown, the Symbol Pokemon. A Psychic type. Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related. This Pokemon is native to the Johto region.**_

"They're just letters with eyes." Vaike stated bluntly.

"Curious... They are even creatures that resemble written language..." Miriel mumbled to her as she, once again, took notes.

"Hey, I'll have you know that our entire written language is based on these little guys!" Ryo defended. "At least, that's the theory..."

"Are they really strong?" Ricken asked.

"Individually, they're actually pretty weak since the only attack they know is Hidden Power, which is a pretty common attack and isn't that strong. But a whole group of Unown are said to have reality bending powers." Ryo continued.

"Not to mention powers of creation!" Jackie added in too.

"What do you mean? Kellam asked as he was absentmidedly petting his new Kecleon; once again ignored by everyone again but Ryo (even Jackie took a little longer to notice him).

"Remember when I told you guys about Arceus?" The Pokemon Watcher asked and receiving nods in return. "Well the legend says and I quote that he 'created the world with his one thousand arms'."

That made the Shepherds raised their brows in confusion.

"Impossible, Ryo. From the painting from that book you demonstrated the night before it would make it seem that this 'Arceus' would be a quadrupedal creature in nature, therefore not have having a thousand limbs." Miriel stated.

While still a little overwhelmed by the mages big words Ryo managed to understand her question. "Actually Miriel, it's been long believed that they don't mean actual limbs, but that Arceus used thousands of Unown to create my home world."

She couldn't help but smile a bit at her friends gaping looks. While she loved sharing her home's legends, at the same time she couldn't help but glance at the convoy wagon where a certain myrmidon was doing her best to ignore them.

 _Maybe it's for the best..._ Ryo thought recalling how Shani acted last time.

"Anyway... Are you sure that it's ok for me and my team to stick with you guys?" Jackie asked Chrom, trying to get them out of their stupor.

"Oh... well, of course!" Chrom stuttered a bit gaining back his train of thought. "Your unfamiliar with our lands Jaqueline, just like Ryo and like her we will protect you as best as we can.

"Thanks but just Jackie is fine. While we're resting wanna meet the rest of my team?"

That got the group excited, thanks to Ryo the concept of Pokemon fascinated them to no end.

"Ooh, Ooh~!" Lissa raised her hand like a kid in a classroom. "You have a full team of six, too?"

"Yep! I see Ryo caught you guys up on some of the basics!" Jackie giggled a bit as she went to her Clefable, Charizard and Rhydon who were still out of their balls. "You've already met Aria, Talvian and Richter. "

The Pokemon made their presence known with their cries as their trainer walked towards... Aria's shadow?

"Hey Specter! Get your lazy butt out here!"

Suddenly a chill was felt amongst the group as the Clefable's shadow extended to a nearby rock, gained glowing red eyes and a toothy grin. That made everyone jump in their seats, bring out their weapons and Ricken... screamed like a girl.

The young mage blushed in embarrassment as the whole group stared at him (even Shani looked at him funny). "Heh heh... sorry."

"Hey don't worry, that's just Specter. My Gengar." Jackie assured as said Gengar detached himself from Aria's shadow and solidified to a dark purple body.

"Gengengen..." Specter laughed creepily, reveling at how scared they where.

This time Ryo brought out her Pokedex.

 _ **Gengar, the Shadow Pokemon. A Ghost/Poison type. It steals heat from its surroundings. If you feel a sudden chill, it is certain that a Gengar appeared. This Pokemon is native to the Kanto region**_.

"W-Well that explains goosebumps. N-Not that I was scared or anything!" Vaike defended.

"*Cough* Denial! *Cough*" Sully mocked him from behind.

"You have two Pokemon in the same Pokeball? Why? And how come he didn't show up earlier?" Ryo questioned.

"Specter likes hanging being in Aria's shadow so I had a custom job on the Pokeball; wasn't exactly cheap. And he was helping, I saw him fire several Shadow Balls at those zombies, er- I mean Risen. All while still being Aria's shadow."

"That was Specter? I thought that was Midnight doing that." Robin said.

"Now for the other two. Go Storm and Cascade!" Jackie tossed her other Pokeballs and out came a large orange rodent with a long lightning shaped tail and a blue salamander.

"Raichu!" Barked the rodent giving Jackie a salute like a soldier would.

"Quag~!" Waved the salamander.

Ryo took out her Pokedex again for the others.

 _ **Raichu, the Mouse Pokemon. An Electric type. If the electrical sacs become excessively charged, Raichu plants its tail in the ground and discharges. Scorched patches of ground will be found near this Pokémon's nest. This Pokemon is native to the Kanto region.**_

 _ **Quagsire, the Water Fish Pokemon. A Water/Ground type. Quagsire hunts for food by leaving its mouth wide open in water and waiting for its prey to blunder in unaware. Because the Pokémon does not move, it does not get very hungry. This Pokemon is native to the Johto region.**_

"Awww~! They're cute!" Lissa squealed.

Cascade looked flattered but Storm just gave Lissa a glare as she sparked her cheeks.

"Uh... word of advice. Storm doesn't exactly like to be called 'cute'. I learned that the hard way..." The brown haired trainer warned the cleric.

"Rai!"

"*Gulp* Got it."

Then Richter for some reason went to Cascade's side and proceeded nuzzle her, which the Quagsire affectionately returned.

"Speaking of cute. Those two must be really good friends." Maribelle chimed in.

Jackie laughed a bit. "They're a little closer than that. These two are mates."

Everyone (minus Ryo and the Pokemon) was surprised to hear that. "Mates?! They're not even the same Pokemon!" Frederick exclaimed in shock.

"That doesn't really matter. As long as their in the same Egg Group, Pokemon don't have to be the same species to mate." Ryo explained.

It was silent for moment.

"...Egg?" Donnel finally broke the awkward silence.

"Oh, I didn't mention that? All Pokemon come from eggs." Stated Ryo matter-of-factly.

"...Even the mammals?"

"Yes." Sibuna answered this time. "The only exceptions are elder Ghost types like Arthur and artificial Pokemon."

Everything was silent again until...

"T-That makes no amount of sense..." Miriel whispered as she kept mumbling something unintelligible as she went through her notes again.

 _Heh, I think we broke her._ Sibuna thought in amusement.

 **Meanwhile in the Pokemon world...**

In the Sinnoh region, a Pokemon breeder was driving along the road in his pickup truck taking several Pokemon eggs from his ranch to his clients at a nearby Egg Nursery. Unbeknownst to him one of them just started to flash. Suddenly a large group of Pokemon ranging from Bibarels to Kricketots to Buneary and more ran across the road.

"What the?!" The breeder yelled as he slammed on the brakes to not run them over. As that happened an light blue egg with yellow markings and a black bottom (the very egg that flashed) fell out of the truck and rolled down the hill.

After getting pushed and shoved away from the panicking Pokemon, it fell into what they were running from in the first place: a portal.

 **Back in Ylisse...**

It was later in the evening and the Shepherds decided to continue venturing back to Ylisstol. Though night came quicker than they thought it would, luckily Robin checked the map and saw that their was another village nearby, thinking maybe they can rest there and finally get some more supplies since the other village was a bit of a bust.

Ryo and Jackie were happily chatting away in the convoy about Pokemon trivia. As fun as most of the Shepherd's were it was nice to talk to someone who already knew about Pokemon. Luckily they were both nerds.

"Ok how 'bout this. Razor Shell is the signature move of the Oshawott line, true or false?" Ryo quizzed Jackie.

"Ha! Nice try but false! It can also be learned by the Shellder, Corphish and Binacle families."

Ryo then applauded the younger trainer. "You're good. That's actually a pretty common misconception."

"Hey, I know Pokemon." Jackie laughed a bit but stopped when she spotted the only other passenger in the convoy. While she managed to talked to most of the Shepherds (minus this one guy who avoided her like the plague), the only one she has no idea what to make of is this tanned girl in the brown hooded cloak.

"Hey, um... What's the deal with that girl over there?" She whispered to the purple haired Pokemon Watcher.

"Oh, Shani?" Ryo whispered back. "Honestly... I don't know. No one else does either. She's part of the group but kinda does her own thing. The only reason she's here is because her boss told her too."

Jackie nodded remembering Frederick saying something about this "Khan Flavia" back when Shani did that... display, earlier in the day. "Does she like you though? I noticed that your the only one other than me and that Donny guy who she doesn't give the evil eye too."

"I wouldn't say 'liking' per sey. More like 'least hating'." She said with Midnight nodding in agreement. "And how I feel about Shani... eehh, I'm not sure. I don't think she's a bad person mind you, she's just... difficult."

"I can hear you y'know."

The two girls jumped to see Shani staring blankly at them.

"S-Sorry! We didn't mean-! We were just-!"

"Whatever..." Shani sighed and turned away from them again.

"Y'know Shani. It wouldn't kill you to hang out with us. At least for a little bit. I am the 'least unbearable' here, after all!" Ryo said cheekily; hoping it would win her over.

 _Please... I'm not asking you to be buddy-buddy with all the Shepherds, but I want you to have at least one friend..._ She thought.

Before Ryo could get an answer though the convoy suddenly stopped. "Huh?" She then peaked outside and gasped at what was in front of them.

...

"What's happened here?!" Chrom exclaimed in shock of the injured merchants and dead soldier in the middle of the road.

"Nothing but death ahead, travelers. I'd turn back if I were you... Whatever your business here, it will have to wait." One of the merchants answered wearily.

"Just tell us what happened."

"Bandits have blocked the road ahead. They're demanding a king's ransom in illicit tolls for all who wish to pass."

Chrom narrowed his eyes. "They think to profiteer on refugees? Despicable."

The merchant nodded sadly "Our caravan's livelihood is at stake. We'll do no business in this country now..."

"The flow of goods must be secured, milord, or the people are likely to starve." Frederick warned.

"Then we'll secure it. You and your caravan can wait here. We'll let you know when it's safe." Chrom assured as he went back to the convoy to discuss strategy with the others and as usual Shani didn't bother waiting and went straight ahead.

The prince sighed; he knew Shani wasn't going to listen anytime soon.

 _As much of a hastle she is, she's still a Shepherd and I am not going to let her throw her life away!_ He thought with resolve.

"I can't believe you guys have to fight again, so soon..." Ryo sighed.

"A Shepherd's work is never done I'm afraid, Ryo." Chrom said.

"But since a lot of us are still recovering from last time I suggest that only those who didn't fight last time or still have energy to spare shall engage in battle, while those that don't will stay and guard the merchants. Any objections?" Robin inquired as everyone shook their heads.

Aside from Shani, Chrom, Sibuna, Robin, Arthur, Frederick, Kellam, Camo, Donnell, Sue Belle, Lon'qu, Sully, Lissa, Stahl and Miriel joined the battle, while Virion, Maribelle, Vaike, Sumia, Soren, Ricken, Ryo and Jackie stayed behind with the merchants (though the trainers of the group insisted that they bring Yuki and Specter for backup). She knew Jackie was still on edge from earlier, so she opted for her to sit this one out and Ryo volunteered to stay so she could comfort her.

"W-What were those creatures?" Questioned another merchant in fear.

The remaining Shepherds looked at each other sheepishly.

"I suppose we have a lot of explaining to do..." Sumia said.

 **Meanwhile...**

"Vincent, darling?" Said one of the bandits to another (that oddly looked pretty similar to himself).

"Yes, Victor?"

"I daresay we've come across a village, Vincent." Victor said with a disturbing smirk.

"And what a thriving little hamlet it is, Victor!" Vincent praised almost sarcastically.

"Indeed. I think it'll made for a fine bit of pillaging, Vincent."

"It most certainly will, Victor."

Unbeknownst to them they had a small being in the bushes eavesdropping. It looked like a brown hedgehog wearing a spiny green hat and the little one was shaking at the implications of what the humans were going to do to the town. "Ches..."

"Well, then. I believe it's my turn to do the honors, isn't it, Vincent?"

"I do believe it is, Victor! Oh, but try not to kill them all this time, hmm? It tends to cut into profits."

Vincent left so his partner can do his "work". As Victor commanded their men towards the village. The hedgehog came out bushes when he saw it was relatively safe and was about to bolt out of there until he saw was seemed to be more people with Pokemon coming towards them. But his eyes seemed to be glued to the ones that were riding these weird Rapidash without flames.

 _Are those... knights? Really REAL knights?!_ He thought with childlike wonder. Back in Sycamore's lab he loved reading books about the knights of old Kalos, so to see knights in the flesh was mind-blowing.

"Chespin!" He cheered with renewed vigor and ran towards them but stopped when he saw another portal opened in front of him.

He flinched thinking it was going to suck him in again but instead it popped out an egg before vanishing as quick as it appeared.

"Pin?"

...

Victor and few of his mere were starting to get closer to the village when suddenly a red-headed girl was blocking his path, with a sword pointed at his direction.

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid this village is closed." She said smugly.

Victor smirked back "Well, aren't you a fetching young thing? And fetching young things fetch good coin. In fact, the gold you net from the slavers will build Vincent a fine home!"

"Careful, love. Us traders are known to make some very deep cuts" She replied, not really fazed by what he said.

Meanwhile...

"Chrom, there's some girl trying to fight off the bandits by herself!" Sully called out pointing ahead.

Frederick saw what she meant and shook his head "Justwhat is she thinking? She'll have no chance on her own."

"Then let's give her a hand shall we?" Chrom spoke up. "Robin, Arthur, Sibuna, can you join me?"

"Of course!"

"Honedge!"

"Did you have to ask?" Robin said almost smugly. "Frederick, can you, Sully and Miriel cover us on the other side of the formation?"

The three of them nodded as they went their separate ways. The latter group went to take care of some bandits coming from the hill only to gasp in shock seeing that they were chasing a hedgehog like creature carrying a large blue egg in it's... vines?

"Another Pokemon? Why would they be chasing it?" Asked Frederick in confusion.

"It wouldn't thake much thought that these miscreants probably know what Pokemon are capable of and thinking that they are exotic animals that would be sold for elicit purposes." Miriel theorized.

Seeing the quills on its head stiffen, glow white and fire white orbs trailing with green energy (Pin Missile) to attack the bandits but one managed to avoid the blast and raised his axe at the frightened hedgehog, Sully dashed ahead and intercepted the blow.

"Why don't ya pick on someone your own size?!" Sully barked at the brigand, distracting him enough for Miriel to fire a Thunder tome at him; killing him instantly.

The knight turned around to face the hedgehog, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"It's ok little guy. You're safe now." Sully said as calmly as possible, hoping they didn't scare it too badly.

But it got a big grin on it's face and started jumping up and down in excitement. "Chespin! Chespin Ches!" Then it suddenly remembered it was carrying the still flashing egg in it's vines so it stopped before the egg could slip out.

Sully then got a look at huge egg and something clicked in her head. "Hey... is this...?"

 **Meanwhile...**

"That peddler woman was fighting to protect the village, you say?" The village elder said to Stahl as he Lissa, Donnell and his Mareep managed to warn the village in time to warn them about the danger and saw the girl on the way there. "That kind of warmth is more than welcome in these cold lands. Here. Please use this to heal her if she's hurt."

"Thank you sir." Stahl said as he took a healing concoction from the elder before he closed the gates for safe keeping.

"Incoming!" Lissa called out seeing more brigands heading there way.

"I gots 'em! Sue Belle, slow 'em down with Cotton Spore!" Donny commanded.

"Reep~!" She brayed as she unleashed a stream of puffs, making their opponents feel sluggish on contact. But the her tail started to glow as she suddenly release a pink energy beam surrounded by blue squares at one of them.

"Maa?" Sue tilted her head in confusion.

"Well... dat's different." Donnell droned out.

"Worry about that later!" Stahl snapped them back to focus as he stabbed another bandit with his sword.

"Right!"

They continued to fight, with an occasional healing from Lissa, for a short moment until a brown blur came around and quickly slashed ambushing thieves.

"Shani?!" Lissa exclaimed as she recognized the new arrival.

"You're welcome." The hooded myrmidon said in monotone before continuing her killing spree elsewhere.

They just starred at her dumbly as she walked off; that little incident earlier made them see Shani in a new (and somewhat scary) light.

"Um... t-thanks." Lissa managed to stutter out.

As Shani cut through several bandits like butter, her sword finally broke. While she was taking another sword off a corpse more of them came from behind her. Before she could react to it, her attackers were blown away by a strong purple winds (Ominous Wind) and turned around to see Ryo's Froslass, Yuki behind her controlling the winds before Specter the Gengar used these small blue energy balls to put the last surviving one to sleep (Hypnosis) and his eyes glowed red as a spectral image fased out and passed through him; seeming sucking his life force dry (Dream Eater).

"Froslass..." Yuki droned out.

"Gen! Gengar!" Specter snickered darkly.

"You didn't have to intervene." Shani said, glaring at the two Ghost types. "I could've handled it myself."

As she went off to somewhere else again, Specter just rubbed the back of his "head" awkwardly and Yuki glared at Shani from behind, she knows she just saying that because she wants to die faster.

 _Die...faster..._ Yuki's thoughts paused. _Wait a minute..._

...

Chrom, Robin and their Pokemon had cut through a couple more opponents but they finally reached the red headed girl.

"Milady! Are you hurt? Do you need..." Chrom said before realizing she handled most of them. "Oh. You're...fine. Well, I guess it was silly of me to be worried, eh?"

"Yes, but it's sweet all the same, handsome." The red head giggled.

"You seem to have things well in hand, but I hope you won't mind a little company? Just until we sort these rogues out."

"Aw, you ARE worried! That's adorable! I welcome the assistance."

"Chrom! Incoming!" Sibuna warned to see more axe wielders.

"Sibuna! Get close and use Metal Claw!"

"You too Arthur and use Slash!" Robin commanded as well.

Sibuna's turned his hand spikes into glowing metallic claws and Arthur unsheathed himself and made his sword body glow as well.

"Oooh~! I see you got yourselves some of those fancy animals too!" The merchant girl said with an odd gleam in her eye.

As the small group battled the last of the bandits still blocking their leader. Sibuna still couldn't shake this feeling in his aura, after all this commotion he never got the chance to ask Chrom about what was in his pocket. But he snapped back to focus when another brigand brought down a sword and he blocked it with his Metal Claw just in time.

"Camo, help Sibuna out with Aqua Tail!" Called out a voice.

"Kecleon!"

Suddenly a torrent of water came out of nowhere and blasted the bandit off his feet. The Lucario turned to see Kellam and his Kecleon crouched on all fours blasting said water torrent from his tail. He couldn't help but notice that the Aqua Tail was unusually strong for being used by a Normal type unless...

So this Kecleon has the Protean Ability? Interesting. Sibuna thought.

"Good thing Ryo told me the rest of your powers, right Camo?" Kellam complemented.

"Kec." Camo replied emotionless.

As the brigand got back up (after hacking up some water), Lon'qu took advantage and stabbed him from behind.

"...Keep your focus on the battle." Lon'qu scolded gruffly.

"R-Right. Forgive me Lon'qu."

"Hone!"

Everyone looked up too see Arthur floating above them. "Honedge, Edge! Hone!"

"What's he saying?" Lon'qu asked.

"He's saying Chrom and Robin defeated the leader. And that there's no more enemies in the area." Sibuna translated.

"Oh, good..." Kellam sighed in relief.

 **Later...**

"Wait... More thieves came this way trying to steal the products?!" Robin exclaimed with worry.

"Yes... luckily these ...Pokemon creatures spotted them." One of the merchants said making Soren puff up his chest with pride, Midnight giggle and Aria made a victory sign.

"Not to mention Virion sniped them super quick!" Ryo added.

"Why I am not called the 'archest of archers for nothing, mon cher!" Virion said in amusement but paused when she saw Jackie looking distant. "Oh..."

Ryo also turned to her a little worried. She doesn't like the fact that they have to kill people either but... they're gonna have to get used to it."

"A thousand thanks, good sir. I'd feared our goods would spoil before reaching market. I'm certain the townsfolk will be happier for the fresh food as well." One of the merchants deeply thanked Chrom. "Not to mention they'll probably love these new Berries, that these ladies said have medicinal purposes."

"Berries?" Robin questioned as she peered into a basket that had a bunch of odd looking fruit of different colors, shapes and sizes.

"I'll explain later guys." Ryo said. She was pretty surprised to see that these guys have Berries from her world. _Makes me wonder what else ended up here..._

"It seems you've done a kindness to my fellow merchants. The name's Anna. Some folks like to call me the Secret Seller. Next time we meet, I'll be sure to cut you an extra-special deal." Te red headed girl, now named Anna, introduced after Lissa gave her the concoction the elder gave her.

"...Secret Seller? That sounds...familiar." Chrom mused.

"I'd tell you more, but then it wouldn't be much of a secret, now would it? Until next time, happy shopping, and may the gods of the open road keep you!" Anna said before heading her way with the other merchants, not noticing Shani's sneer at a certain word.

"Well Shepherds, it's already dark. How about we restock in the village and spend the night?" Chrom said turning to the others.

"Yay! We're not camping!" Lissa cheered.

"Chespin!"

Everyone jumped and looked down to see a certain brown hedgehog bouncing with energy, looking at them with stars it's eyes.

"Wow a Chespin!" Ryo said as she opened her Pokedex.

 _ **Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokemon. A Grass type. The quills on its head are usually soft. When it flexes them, the points become so hard and sharp that they can pierce rock. This Pokemon is native the Kalos region.**_

"We found this little guy running around the battlefield and it's been glued to my side too. He also had this thing in it's grasps." Sully explained getting of her horse and taking the egg out of it's saddlebag. "And it hasn't stopped glowing since we saw it."

Jackie suddenly perked up and gasped when she saw the egg.

"That glowing means one thing! It's hatching!" Jackie exclaimed.

"WHAT?! RIGHT NOW?!"

"Yes! Now!" She barked back. "Everyone surround the egg! The warmth will make the egg hatch quicker!"

At that Sully quickly set the egg down and everyone got on their knees huddled around the egg as it started to shake and make cracks in the shell.

"Get ready guys!" Ryo whispered "You're about to witness one of the miracles of the Pokemon world!"

The egg kept cracking until the shell became sparkles and revealed the newly hatched Pokemon. It looked feline with blue fur in the front of it's body and black fur on the back and had several yellow markings around it's front legs, ears and a yellow shaped star on the tip off it's tail.

"Awww~! It's so cuuuuuute~!" Lissa and Sumia squealed.

"We've just witnessed the miracle of life in front of us. Truly amazing..." Frederick said softly.

"I was hoping you were jesting about what you described earlier..." Miriel mumbled, still in disbelief that a mammal came out of an egg.

At that the baby Pokemon opened it's yellow eyes and laid them on the first person it saw right in front of it: Shani.

"...Shinx?"

Shani blinked at the little one. "Um... hello?"

Jackie then took out her Pokedex at points it at their new arrival.

 _ **Shinx, the Flash Pokemon. An Electric-type. All of its fur dazzles if danger is sensed. It flees while the foe is momentarily blinded. This Pokemon is native to the Sinnoh region.**_

The baby Shinx smiled at the myrmidon and waddled clumsily to her as it put it's front paws on her lap. "Shinx! Shinx!"

"Um... what's the squirt doing?" Vaike asked Jackie, very confused on why it would go to Shani of all people.

"You see... when baby Pokemon hatch, the first living thing they lay their eyes on, they'll believe is their mother."

"Aww that's so sweet! Right Shani?" Sumia said until she got a look at the brunette. "Shani?"

Shani no longer looked as dead as a Risen, but she had a panicked look, her breath was shaky and her body was trembling.

"NO!" She suddenly stood up, accidentally sending the Shinx tumbling to the ground. "I-I can't do it! I-I can't be it's mother! I-I don't deserve to be it's mother! I'll just hurt it, and...and... and...!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Everyone covered their ears at the Shinx suddenly bawling it's eyes out.

"W-What's going on?! Why is it crying like that?!" Ricken shouted through the noise.

"Most baby Pokemon are pretty smart when they hatch!" Sibuna shouted back. "It probably could tell that Shani didn't want it and it's feeling abandoned!"

Shani froze at the word "abandoned" and suddenly came towards the Shinx and started rocking it back and forth, humming softly to calm it down.

"...Shinx?" The baby Pokemon sniffeld back tears seeing Shani carrying it.

"Shhhh... It's ok... Don't cry... Mama's here..." She whispered in a quiet, tone giving her new child a small sad smile (ignoring everyone's jaw dropping).

The Shepherds just had one question on their minds.

What just happened?

 **I hope you like this long chapter! Also... remember when I said I would do Emmeryn's assassination attempt next chapter? Yeah turns out it's gonna be the one after... Sorry!**

 **Also if you guys get the hint that Chespin is gonna be Sully's from here on in! I just need help with a nickname for next chapter, any ideas? Use your inner Sully and think of what she would name him (Yes it's male.)**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi everyone! This is quite possibly one of my longest chapters yet! I'm pretty proud of it! But before we get started I have something to say to a certain Guest reviewer named Joseph. Look man, thanks for thinking so highly of my story and I appreciate the effort you put into your OCs but... I'm not accepting any more OCs from other people because I have enough and well... to be honest they just don't fit into headcannons or my plans for this story. I'm sorry if end up offending you in some way but I just can't use them. I just wish I could've told you sooner but this site doesn't make me give messages to people who don't have profiles (which I think is kinda dumb).**

 **So once again I apologize for this mess, no hard feelings right?**

The Shepherds nearly reached the end of their march back to Ylisstol. A really _awkward_ march at that because the kept staring Shani, the most hostile and suicidal person in their ranks, acting _motherly._

"Guys... it's not polite to stare..." Sumia whispered to the people within earshot.

"Come on Sumia! You got to admit, this is too bizarre!" Lissa whispered back.

"Milady has a point. _This_ is the same person who was so willing to die by my sword?" Frederick added, equally wierded out. "Lon'qu I am aware you avoid women in general but is this normal for her?"

Lon'qu just glared at the knight. "Like I said earlier I know of her title because of rumors. But I have heard that the only people she doesn't act hostile towards are children."

"Funny, she never struck me as someone who likes kids..." Vaike mentioned absentmidedly.

Meanwhile in the convoy Shani was feeding a bottle of milk to her baby Shinx, who she named Chaka (she contemplated on another name, but decided against it).

"There now; all full?" She asked softly.

The only answer she got was Chaka letting loose a small burp.

"I'll take take that as a yes."

Shani managed to smile a rare smile...

"Awww~!"

...Only for it to disappear in an instant when she remembered her two "helpers".

"I knew you weren't a bad person Shani! Someone who handles a Pokemon with as much love as you did couldn't be!" Ryo beamed as she rode Jeb beside the convoy, with Midnight nodding in agreement.

"Yeah you're a natural!" Complemented Jackie who was riding in the convoy with the myrmidon. "I should know my mom's a Pokemon Breeder, so I know how to handle baby Pokemon. Heck I even hatched Talvian from an egg!"

Shani (despite being a street performer, once upon a time) really didn't like the attention she was getting, but she better get used to it since Chrom assigned Jackie and Ryo to stick with her to help out with Chaka because of their expertise on Pokemon.

"Thank you." She mumbled.

"Just so you know, in a week or so little Chaka here will be able to eat solid food and be ready for battle too!" Jackie explained.

Shani looked surprised "That soon?! He just hatched!"

Ryo nodded. "Pokemon develop faster than humans. I've seen a couple of baby Pokemon eat solid foods and battle as soon as they hatch. Depends on the species."

Shani averted there gaze and started mumbling to herself.

"Hey, don't worry Shani. Jackie and I are gonna help you through this..." Ryo assured.

"Hmph. Are you only saying that because Prince Chrom asked you to?" Shani scoffed.

"No. I'm saying that because we want to help you. As friends." The Pokemon Watcher said seriously and Jackie nodding in agreement.

The myrmidon just stared at the two for a moment and gazed back at Chaka on her lap giving her an innocent smile.

 _This feels to much like... that time..._ She thought with both nostalgia and fear. But mostly fear.

 **...**

As that happened Chrom and Sibuna were at the front lines and they noticed that the very road they've been to before when they departed a few days back now had several differences as they were getting closer to Ylisstol. Like sprouts of unfamiliar trees growing out of the ground and Pokemon (Like flocks of Tailow, several Deerling and even a couple of Weedle and Caterpie) that weren't around before.

"Sibuna, I've been down this road several times and all of this wasn't here." Chrom said, with worry in his tone.

"Yes. It seems like more objects from my world are coming here. It's only a matter of time before someone else notices." Sibuna added.

The blunette couldn't help but agree. Emmeryn wanted to keep Pokemon a secret for Ryo's safety but with more and more Pokemon appearing from the woodwork it'll be next to impossible to cover this up.

"Also Chrom..." Sibuna suddenly asked, breaking Chrom from his thoughts. "What do you have in your pocket?"

"My... pocket?"

"My aura has been sensing a disturbance since yesterday and it's coming from your pocket, so what is it?"

At first Chrom didn't understand but then it clicked in his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the marble from the village that the Risen invaded.

The Lucario's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "W-Where did you get that?!"

"F-From the elder of the village that was invaded by Risen, why? What is it?" Chrom asked surprised by the outburst.

"Hey what's going on?" Ryo asked as she rode Jeb to the front when she heard Sibuna yell. But gasped really loudly at what she saw in his hands.

"WHERE DID YOU GET A MEGA STONE?!" She exclaimed with shock.

"A Mega Stone?"

"Stop! Thieves!"

Everyone stopped at the edge of the capital and they saw two cloaked figures running off with two Pokemon by their sides. One was green with red and blue roses for hands and the other looked like it was made of several blades.

"Looks like this conversation is going to have to wait." Chrom said as he pocketed the Mega Stone.

 **...**

On the outskirts of Ylisstol (in a different area though) a Growlithe and an Audino were contemplating on what to do and where to go.

The two have arrived in this unfamiliar place for a couple days now and Growlithe was getting antsy. He was still at the Police Academy with the other Growlithe and suddenly a portal opened up while his group was playing in the yard; luckily his friends got away in time thanks to his warning but he got sucked in the process.

As he fell to the ground below he sprained his front paw, luckily Audino was here long before he was and used Heal Pulse to calm the swelling.

They thought about going through town but as the Fire-type noticed there seems to be no Pokemon anywhere in the town and while he wasn't an expert on human technology, he knew enough from the Academy that these people were WAY behind.

... _Where the heck are we?_

"Stop! Thieves!" A male voice shouted breaking his thoughts.

Momentary confusion suddenly forgotten, Growlithe's cop instincts kicked in as he dashed towards town.

"Audino!" The Normal-type called out to her companion as she gave chase.

 **Meanwhile...**

The day just went from normal to hectic for the people in Ylisstol. Exalt Emmeryn was visiting them again and while the store owner was preoccupied with her presence some thieves with strange creatures stole some produce and salted meats from right under his nose. He only noticed that the shorter thief (who had an odd body shape) knocked over a vase. Luckily the Shepherds arrived and one of their mounted knights was giving chase to the thieves.

"Hold right there!" Frederick ordered but it fell on deaf ears as the quartet split in different directions. Muttering a curse he only followed the taller thief's path, luckily he noticed Stahl going after the shorter thief and Ryo going after the unfamiliar Pokemon.

"Halt or your going to regret it!" The knight ordered again but the thief kept running until a red-orange blur came out of nowhere and tackled the thief and pinned it to the ground making it drop it's stolen produce in the process.

Frederick got a better look at his unexpected help and saw it was some sort of dog with bright red-orange fur, black stripes and a tuft of cream fur on it's head. It didn't take him long to realize that this was a Pokemon and not a normal dog.

"Thank you for the assistance. I'll take it from here..." Frederick said to the dog, who seemed to nod it's head in understanding.

 _It never ceases to amaze me how intelligent Pokemon are. But why are they satisfied to be mere pets?_ Frederick couldn't help but wonder.

As he got closer his wonder turned to shock to see that the thief (now with the hood out of the way) had a vaguely reptilian head with grey skin.

"Machoke..."

 **With Stahl...**

"Get back here!" Stahl called out to the funny looking thief who was surprisingly fast enough to outrun his steed.

"He's faster than he looks!" Lissa quipped as she rode with Stahl on his horse.

The theif turned back to them just briefly for them to see it have a bug like face.

"What the?!" Stahl exclaimed but stopped when he noticed that the thief wasn't looking where it was going and was about to crash into...

"Emm! Look out!" Lissa warned.

Luckily Phila pushed Emmeryn out of the way and knocked the thief to the ground with her spear, making his hood fall down to reveal a large blue beetle.

"H-Heracross!" The beetle exclaimed fearfully at the spear pointed at him.

"Phila wait!" Lissa called out to the Pegasus knight. "I think that's another Pokemon!"

"But Milady!" Phila began to protest but Emmeryn put a hand on hers to lower her spear and made way towards the shaking Heracross.

"Don't be afraid... I won't hurt you." Emmeryn said softly as she made eye contact with the Bug/Fighting type and offered her hand. It took a moment but the Heracross felt at ease with the Exalt and took her hand to stand up.

Emmeryn then looked at what he stole that fell on the ground. "I see... that's why you did it."

 **Later...**

"These are the thieves?" Said the shopkeeper in disbelief that _all_ the thieves were animals, not just the two he saw who were (oddly enough) being hung onto by the vines of a large bush-goat. The blade creature still trying to pick a fight and the walking rose bouquet just looking embarrassed.

Now that the people of Ylisstol realized, they're have been these weird creatures and plant life showing up these past few weeks. At first they were thought to be merely rumors but seeing them now, some of them alongside the Shepherds (even this odd looking rabbit creature who suddenly showed up, apparently to scold the dog for some reason), was enough to dismiss that belief.

Chrom while keeping a straight face, was incredibly nervous on the inside. Now that everyone has seen Pokemon how are they going to explain this?

"Chrom..." Emmeryn whispered placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think you know what we need to do."

She then stepped foward to the crowd. "People of Ylisstol! Do no not fear, these creatures mean no harm! They lived in fear of being in a land not their own with no idea where to find food."

Emmeryn was pretty grateful for Sibuna for translating earlier and turned her gaze towards the shopkeeper.

"I apologize on their behalf, good sir. Allow me to pay for what they stole."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Well, thank you Your Highness. But... what are they?"

"These creatures are called Pokemon and as I have said before they come from a far away land." She explained as she heard murmuring in the crowd. "But I am no expert on them but fortunately for us Miss Ryo here is an expert from their land. I'm sure she'll be happy to explain."

Ryo gave an undignified "eep!", when Emmeryn called her over. She was never good with crowds.

"H-Hello... Um... I'm Ryo Kihara and I-I hope I can answer your questions..." She stuttered out.

"... And I'm Jackie Hart! I'm a also a Pokemon expert and you can ask me questions too!" Jackie jumped in to help keep the some pressure off of Ryo. She was used to crowds due to being in several Pokemon Leagues before dedicating to research.

The two of them filled in as much as they could, answering some questions even Sibuna jumped in (after explaining his species traits) to offer things from a Pokemon's perspective. Ryo even let a little kid come up and pet her Zorua to assure they're safe.

Some questions were a little tough to answer, like how can the people or even Pokemon be carnivorous when nearly every Pokemon is sapient. Sibuna answered that it was "the circle of life" but they make sure that the prey don't suffer and if "you pick the bones clean and thank it for the meal it gave you" the Pokemon will be reborn as an egg elsewhere (at least that's what they were taught). So essentially they give more life than they were taking. However, overhunting is strictly forbidden and frowned upon by both races.

As they made clear of the beginning of the truce between Pokemon and people (known to the Pokemon as the "Shadow's Warning" and to the humans as the Veilstone Myth) no one noticed that a certain masked swordsman in blue spying at the event from a distance. He looked... conflicted; on one hand he was fascinated by the information but at the same time he was worried.

 _This... This never happened... What's going on here?_ He thought, not noticing he himself was being spied on by a certain Absol.

His thoughts broke when he saw the crowd follow the Shepherds and the Exalt somewhere. Something about a... Pokemon Battle?

 **Later...**

Emmeryn led most everyone to an open field away from the capital and the castle, so Ryo and Jackie could demonstrate a Pokemon Battle without accidentally causing damage. While Emmeryn never liked violence, she knew that the Pokemon were in good hands and the trainers wouldn't allow severe harm to anyone.

"To make this interesting how about we make it a Tag Battle?" Jackie suggested.

"Tag Battle?" Asked one onlooker.

"It's when four trainers compete in a two-on-two battle. And since the some of the Shepherds have their own Pokemon, why not have them join the two of us for a Tag Battle?" Jackie explained as she turned to Shepherds "Any volunteers?"

"Count me in!" Sully announced. "If Spikes here wants to be a knight he's gonna need all the training he can get!"

"Chespin!" Sully's new Chespin cheered from her shoulder.

"And me too!" Donnel stepped foward. "Since Sue Belle learned dat new move, I think we should try it out. Ain't dat right Sue?"

"Reep~!" His Mareep agreed.

Ryo nodded "Alright then, how about this. Sully you'll team up with Jackie and Donny you're with me, sound good?"

The two Shepherds nodded as they all got into position, with Sibuna in between them acting as referee.

"The Tag Battle between Ryo and Donnel and Jackie and Sully is about to begin! Each trainer will use one Pokemon each and the battle ends when both Pokemon on one side is unable to continue!" Sibuna declared the rules.

"Ready? Begin!"

"Come on out Storm!" Jackie called out her Raichu.

"Rai Rai!" Storm made her presence known by sparking her cheeks. The crowd murmuring in awe of the display of Pokeballs.

 _So she's using her Raichu? Maybe I should call on Jeb..._ Ryo thought. As she was about to call her Gogoat on the sidelines one of the Pokeballs on her belt opened on it's own and Levi came out.

"Levi?! What are doing? I didn't ask you to come out!" Ryo questioned in surprise.

"Lade! Gallade, Lade!"

"He's saying he wants to battle. He wants to put Chrom's teachings to the test." Sibuna translated.

"Are you sure?" Ryo asked getting a nod from her Gallade. "Ok. If you really wanna do this, go get 'em! Use Psycho Cut!"

"Gallade!" Levi made his head fin glow violet and summoned energy blades of thhe same color towards the Chespin and Raichu.

"Let's help too Sue Belle! Hit 'em with Thundershock!" Donny exclaimed.

"Maa!" Sue complied by releasing a jolt of electricity as well

"Storm, block it with Thunderbolt!" Jackie commanded.

"Spikes, Pin Missile!" Sully ordered as well, remembering the attacks Ryo told her.

"Ches! Pin!" Spikes hardened the quills on his head and released white and green energy blasts to block the Mareep's attack as Storm's stronger Electric attack blocked the Gallade's.

"Rollout on Levi!" Sully ordered again.

Spikes, though a little surprised to aim at a fully evolved Pokemon, did as he was told and curled into a ball and rolled at high speed towards Levi.

"Levi send it back with Slash!"

Levi's elbow blades extended and glowed white and blocked the rolling Chespin's path and knocked him back towards Storm's path, who managed to catch him.

"Storm use Double Team and take Spikes with ya!"

"Raichu!" Storm grabbed Spikes' hand and started to move so fast that it looked like they multiple copies surrounding Levi and Sue Belle.

Sue started to get nervous, but Levi started to get closer to the Mareep to try and ease her.

"Hey Donny! Let's divide and conquer!" Ryo offered.

"Right! Time to try out dat new move!" He replied.

"Levi break through the Double Team with Psycho Cut!"

"You too Sue Belle! Signal Beam!"

Levi summoned his purple energy blades as Sue Belle made her tail glow with and fired a pink energy beam surrounded by blue squares at the copies one by one.

It took a while to get used to animals by all means taking a beating but as they saw the creatures _smiling_ throughout the battle little by little the crowd was starting to get excited by the spectacle. Even started to cheering on different sides.

"Shinx! Shinx!" Chaka started to cheer as well from Shani's lap. Said myrmidon noticed this and couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry. Chaka in her mind is still very much a baby, but he'll be doing these kind of battles in week? She didn't know what to make of that.

Back with the battle Ryo told Levi to Slash at Storm.

"Dodge and use Brick Break!" Jackie responded back.

"Rai!" The Electric-type exclaimed as her paw glowed white and brought it down upon the Gallade's head, stopping him in his tracks. Not only that but Levi's body started to crackle with electricity.

"Crap! Static!" The Pokemon Watcher cursed. She looked on then field to see Sue struggling as well. Ryo expected Jackie to be good considering her background but Sully was doing better than expected, especially considering she had Spikes for less than two days.

"H-Hang in dere Sue! Try a Cotton Spore!" Donnell called out.

Sue Belle did as told and released a stream of cotton towards her opponents and gave a satisfied smile when she saw the blue aura wash down on them among all the cotton showing their Speed lowered.

Ryo understood Donnel's idea of going defensive. "Good idea... Levi, Sword Dance!"

"G-Gallade!" Levi (despite the paralysis) projected illusionary swords above his head. They started to circle around and cross before vanishing and making a red aura wash up him, sharply raising his Attack stat.

"Oh no you don't!" Sully taunted, seeing what they were doing. "Spikes use Vine Whip on Sue Belle!"

Spikes extended vines from his back and wrapped around Sue's body.

"Slam her!"

"Chespin!" Spikes did as told and slammed the Mareep to the ground again and again. Donnell started to panic seeing his partner getting hammered.

 _Come on Donny! Think, think...!_ The farmer racked his brain for ideas. Then it hit him.

"Sue Belle, quick hit 'em with Signal Beam! Right in da eyes!"

Sue, who was struggling to stay conscious from the beating managed to fire the Signal Beam right at Spikes' face. Suddenly the vines dropped her from their hold, as she looked she saw the Chespin didn't look quite right, his eyes looked sunken in. Suddenly Spikes started slapping himself with his vines.

"Spikes! What are you doing?!" Sully exclaimed.

"It's the Signal Beam!" Jackie explained. "It managed to confuse him!"

"Tch! Talk about lucky..."

"Storm, cover for Spikes! Use Volt Tackle!"

The Raichu ran towards Sue covered in powerful electricity. Rigt as she was about to make contact with the Wool Pokemon...

"Levi use Psycho Cut to stop her!"

Suddenly purple energy blades came right towards Storm and hit her square in the back, causing and explosion.

"Quick, Sue Belle! Tackle on Spikes!" Donnell exclaimed.

Taking advantage of the smoke and Spikes' confusion, Sue Belle came out of the smoke and tackled the Chespin straight on, actually managing a critical hit.

Just enough to knock the Grass-type.

"Spikes is unable to battle! Sue Belle is the winner!" Sibuna announced raising a hand to Ryo and Donnell's side.

"We... We did it Sue!" Donnell cheered.

"Mareeeep~!"

"Damn..." Sully said quietly as she picked up her Chespin. _Guess we still need work, huh?_

"Hey Jackie, get those chumps for us, will ya?"

"Don't worry Sully, I got this! Storm use... huh?"

Everyone paused as they saw the Mareep glow a blue light surrounded by a thin force field.

"I-Is this another new move?" Donny questioned in confusion.

"Better! Sue's evolving!" Ryo answered with excitement.

"Evolving?"

They watched as Sue's figure not only grew in size but also became more bipedal. It also seemed like she was loosing most of her wool. When the light finally faded and the force field "exploded", the small yellow sheep was no more but instead a bipedal sheep with pink skin, white wool only covering her head and neck and a blue sphere on the end her tail.

"...Sue Belle?" Donnell breathed. "...Is that you?"

She turned to face her master with a happy grin on her face "Flaaaaaafy~!"

Ryo opened her Pokedex to get newly evolved Pokemon's information so everyone could hear.

 _ **Flaafy, the Wool Pokemon and the evolved form of Mareep. An Electric-type. Flaffy's wool quality changes so that it can generate a high amount of static electricity with a small amount of wool. The bare and slick parts of its hide are shielded against electricity. This Pokemon is native to the Johto region.**_

"This is what we call 'evolution'." Ryo explained to the crowd. "When some Pokemon meets certain conditions, like being in enough battles, having certain object, a strong bond with a trainer, etc. They grow into more powerful and permanent bodies."

"Amazing..." Robin whispered in awe.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Ricken agreed.

"A wondrous process..." Miriel breathed. "I must know more..."

Everyone in the crowd was soon amazed by the process as their fascination grew more.

Even the normally apathetic Shani was curious by all this more and more now that she has a Pokemon to take care of. Maybe just as much as Ryo was holding her attention; she adapted from being a timid little dormouse to the role of a teacher when it was needed only to go back to that timid little dormouse on other occasions. It was weird... but somewhat adorable.

 _...Wait, what?_ Her thoughts screeched to a halt. _No, Shani! You can think like that!_

Luckily Jackie's voice brought her back to reality. "Hey, now that that little lesson is over, how 'bout we finish this battle?"

Donny grinned with even more vigor. "Let's get 'er done! Sue Belle, use Thundershock!"

"Use Psycho Cut, Levi!"

A combination of electricity and energy blades headed for the Raichu, who just stood there waiting for her orders.

"Double Team!"

"Raichu!" Storm did as told and made her after image copies of herself surrounding her opponents once more and avoid their attacks.

The two Pokemon kept and eye out to see when the real one was going to show, only for the clones to disperse and the real one to come up behind the newly evolved Flaafy.

"Sue, behind ya! Use Tackle!"

"Intercept it with Brick Break!"

The two exchanged blows with head and glowing paw respectively, but ultimately due to being more experienced (plus being being tired out by Spikes) glowing paw won in the end, plowing the latter into the ground.

"Sue Belle!" Donny cried out but got no response as swirls appeared in her eyes.

"Sue Belle is unable to battle! Storm is the winner!" Sibuna refereed.

"Aw fiddlesticks..." Donnel said in defeat as he picked up an unconcious Sue Belle (now feeling heavier than before). "Ya did good Sue..."

The farmer and Ryo locked eyes for a moment. No words were needed when the latter turned back to the battle. "Can you keep going Levi?"

"Gallade..." Levi said with determination despite still twitching from the paralysis.

That was all Ryo needed to hear. "Close Combat!"

"LADE!" The Blade Pokemon exclaimed as he unleashed a barrage of punches, kicks and slashes at Storm. Close Combat was an already powerful attack but boosted with the Swords Dance from earlier, it could be outright devastating even to a veteran battler like Storm.

But the move had a huge drawback. As the blue aura waved downwards, his Defense and Special defense lowered, making him weaker to hits.

And Jackie noticed this. "Now's our chance! Thunderbolt!"

"Raichu!" Storm sparked her cheeks and shocked Levi as hard as she could to stop his assault and it worked.

"Levi use Psycho Cut!"

Levi made his head fin glow purple once more but before he could form the blades the electricity within him staticed again making him fall on one knee.

"No!"

"Volt Tackle! Let's end it!" Jackie commanded once more.

Unable to move anymore, all Levi could do was sit there and wait for the electricity coated Raichu to hit him dead on resulting in an explosion.

On the other side of the explosion the audience held their breaths with anticipation as Storm came out of the smoke with a confident smirk, although she suffered the recoil damage of her signiture move. The smoke cleared to reveal an unconscious Gallade with swirls in his eyes.

"Levi is unable to battle! Storm is the winner!" Sibuna declared raising his right paw. "The victory goes to Jackie and Sully!"

"All right! Nice work Storm!" Jackie hugged her Raichu. Who flinched a bit from the hug but didn't object.

Ryo let out a sigh and sighed. "Well, that's that."

She then walked towards her fallen Gallade. "You did good buddy. Maybe you're ready for your Mega Stone..."

They were interrupted from the cheers of the crowd and Maribelle and Lissa coming towards her and Donnell respectively with healing staves.

"What do you think of the battle, Maribelle?" Ryo asked as the blonde healed Levi.

"It was barbaric and savage. Yet it was so captivating I couldn't look away." Maribelle admitted.

The purple haired trainer smirked a bit "I could say the same on how you guys fight."

Maribelle smirked back at her as she noticed she fully healed the Psychic/Fighting type "There you are Levi. Good as new."

Fully healed (but still a little groggy), Levi sat up and thanked the troubadour. "Lade."

"Alright-y! Sue's all healed up!" Lissa said cheerfully as she Donny and a now conscious Sue Belle came towards them. "Now let's heal Spikes and Storm!"

"Um... actually Princess. Dat critter's already doin' that." Donnell said pointing to the other end of the field.

They looked to see the Audino that was scolding that Growlithe earlier heal the Chespin and Raichu with thin multicolored energy waves (Heal Pulse).

"Wow! You can heal things too?" Lissa asked the Pokemon with wonder in her eyes.

"Audino!" The rabbit-like Pokemon nodded with a smile.

Seeing the cleric's curiosity. Jackie took out her Pokedex.

 _ **Audino, the Hearing Pokemon. A Normal-type. It touches others with the feelers on its ears, using the sound of their heartbeats to tell how they are feeling. This Pokemon is native to the Unova region.**_

"You know Audino's are the main choice for healers and care givers for that reason." Jackie added in away Lissa would understand.

"Wow! You're cute and helpful!" Lissa patted Audino on the head.

"Audino~!" Audino blushed at the complement.

As that was happening a certain masked spy was watching from amazement from far away.

 _Incredible..._

 **Later that day, in the castle throne room...**

"I apologize for putting you in that position Ryo." Emmeryn said solemnly. "We've been trying to keep Pokemon a secret for your sake but..."

Ryo interrupted by shaking her head. "Don't be, Your Highness. We've been put into a position where we couldn't hide it anymore. Especially with more Pokemon showing up, among other things."

She was gesturing towards Jackie, who was still in shock of talking to royalty (Yeah Chrom and Lissa forgot to mention that little deatail), and the quartet of thieves who've now been in the Shepherd's custody in exchange for getting them out of trouble. For some reason Growlithe decided to join them (again, cop instincts) and Lissa and Audino became enamored with each other.

"Well that whole mess is out of the way, what Pokemon do we have here?" Shani asked genuinely curious. Once again the Shepherd's were shocked at how much she was talking.

Ryo seemed to ignore the and took out her Pokedex and points it at Growlithe.

 _ **Growlithe, the Puppy Pokemon. A Fire-type. Extremely loyal to its Trainer, it will bark at those who approach the Trainer unexpectedly and run them out of town. This Pokemon is native to the Kanto region.**_

Lissa giggled at the information. "That's almost like Frederick but with fur!"

Frederick said nothing gave the princess a glare.

"Maybe it's a bit excessive but that's why Growlithe are the Pokemon of choice for law enforcement in four regions." Jackie explained.

At that Frederick looked at the Fire-type next to him. He stayed with them to make sure these "criminals" were dealt with. Maybe he belonged with law enforcement?

 _I'll ask Sibuna if he could find out later..._ He thought.

Ryo continued her information on the thieves (now without cloaks), starting with humanoid one with a reptilian head.

 _ **Machoke, the Superpower Pokemon. A Fighting-type. Machoke undertakes bodybuilding every day even as it helps people with tough, physically demanding labor. On its days off, this Pokémon heads to the fields to exercise and train. This Pokemon is native to the Kanto region.**_

Then made way towards the blue beetle, who was looking around the room nervously.

 _ **Heracross, the Single Horn Pokemon. A Bug/Fighting type. It gathers in forests to search for tree sap, its favorite food. It's strong enough to hurl foes. This Pokemon is native to the Johto region.**_

Then she points towards the plant-like creature with roses for hands.

 _ **Roselia, the Thorn Pokemon. A Grass/Poison type. Roselia shoots sharp thorns as projectiles at any opponent that tries to steal the flowers on its arms. The aroma of this Pokémon brings serenity to living things. This Pokemon is native to the Hoenn region.**_

"Well that's certainly true." Virion spoke up. "It's quite the lovely fragrance."

"Roselia~" Roselia blushed a bit at the complement.

And finally Ryo made her way towards the creature of blades that was glaring at her.

 _ **Pawniard, the Sharp Blade Pokemon. A Dark/Steel type. Ignoring their injuries, groups attack by sinking the blades that cover their bodies into their prey. This Pokemon is native to the Unova region.**_

That entry made Lon'qu raise a brow with interest.

"Anyway, what did you guys of our more detailed Pokemon lesson?" Ryo asked putting away her Pokedex.

"It was... enlightening." Emmeryn admitted. In the beginning it looked like humans and Pokemon have that expected "master-servant" relationship but with what Ryo and Jackie said it seemed a lot more complex relationship. There world seemed to revolve around these creatures so much that they don't turn their weapons against them and were willing enough to find a "meat substitute" if, worse case scenario, there remaining non-Pokemon livestock runs out, even if the Pokemon themselves, according to Sibuna, don't see the big deal with eating meat.

"I don't get one thing. You said Pokemon and humans might have been one in the same. But I thought Pokemon used to be regular animals." Sumia expressed her doubt

"I never said _alll_ animalsdid I?" Ryo joked. "Anyway it's still just a theory, but it was thought that they were creatures that weren't exactly Pokemon and weren't exactly humans. But over time evolution, the different kind Sue Belle's been through by the way, made them go different paths and became what they are now."

Sibuna picked up where Ryo left off. "While both sides are different, we have some things in common that make this theory hold some water. Pokemon still have sapience and humans are incredibly durable to our attacks."

Jackie nodded. "It's true. I can't tell the number of times Storm electrocuted me and I'm still standing!"

Everyone in that room gawked at how she lived getting electrocuted and was actually _smiling_ at the memory.

"Damn... When you put it like that it makes us look fragile by comparison!" Sully remarked.

"But like Ryo said, it's just a theory." Jackie tried to comfort.

Chrom, who was silent the whole time, decided to speak up. "Well this information is fascinating. There's I still have one question."

He then pulls out the Mega Stone. "What exactly is this?"

Sibuna stepped foward "That Chrom, is a Mega Stone. A Lucarionite to be exact."

"Mega Stone?"

"If you make me hold that stone, I will be able to achieve Mega Evolution and temporarily become a form even stronger than this one." He explained.

Every Shepherd gasped at the thought. Sibuna was of the strongest Pokemon in there group and he's saying he can get stronger than that?!

"But I thought once a Pokemon evolves there was no turning back!" Ricken brought up.

"That's true. That's why it's more of a transformation than an evolution." Jackie clarified. "Only several Pokemon species are able to achieve Mega Evolution; each with their one unique Mega Stone."

"But you need three things for Mega Evolution to work." Ryo continued. "A Mega Stone for that specific Pokemon, A Key Stone for the trainer to hold and the two must share a strong bond."

"What's a Key Stone?" Robin asked.

"These." Both Jackie and Ryo showed there respective Key Stones. A small one was in between the eyes of Ryo's goggles and Jackie's was in a bracelet.

"Where can we find these Key Stones?" Chrom asked interested in the whole thing. Even though he and Sibuna weren't official partners for long they had the utmost trust in each other.

"They're usually found in caves, like Mega Stones. But you're in luck, Chrom..." Ryo said reaching into her backpack. "I have an extra Key Stone!"

The prince looked at the stone in front of him "How...?"

"The person studying Mega Evolution gave me an extra one along with mine so I can study it and maybe one day give it to a deserving trainer." She said.

"He gave me one too when I was studying under him! So in case you guys have another Pokemon able to Mega Evolve just ask me!"The brunette trainer smiled.

Chrom smiled at their kidness as he took the stone from Ryo's hands "Thank you both."

 **At lunch...**

The Shepherds decided to spend a few days at Castle Ylisstol to protect Emmeryn as they made plans for a potential war against Plegia. They decided to have a small lunch at the castle grounds. Before they could eat Ryo turned to Levi.

"Levi, you did great in that battle today. I think you're ready to have this." Ryo said with a smile as she pulled out an silver anklet with a white, green and red striped Mega Stone in it.

"Ga?"

"Go on, you deserve it!"

Levi took the anklet from his trainer's hands and placed it on his right leg. It took a moment to sink in but once it did he got the biggest grin on his face. "Gallade!"

The rest of Ryo's Pokemon congratulated him on the milestone and even Midnight turned herself into a Gallade and gave him a pat on the back.

"Congratulations, Levi!" Robin said.

"Honedge!" Arthur cheered.

The tactician then turned to the Flaafy. "And congratulations to you Sue Belle, for evolving into your next phase."

"Flaaaafy!" Sue beamed.

"Aw, thanks Robin! And we're gonna keep getting stronger for you guys!" Donnell said happily.

As everyone was about to eat their share, Sully noticed someone was missing. "Where's Spikes?"

She got up and looked around the field for a while until she the Chespin using Rollout over and over onto a large boulder. When it got cracked was when he finally stopped.

"Ches..."

"Spikes what are you doin' here? Your gonna miss lunch." Sully asked, making Spikes jump out of his skin.

"Don't tell me your sore about losing the battle."

He was silent for a moment but then nodded. "Chepin..."

Sully just furrowed her brow for a moment, she kinda knew why Spikes was acting this way. While still at the other village, she asked Sibuna to ask Spikes how he got here, out of curiosity. Turns out Spikes was abandoned by his previous trainer after losing his first "Gym Battle" (whatever that that was) and was dropped of back at the lab's doorstep. Not wanting to disappoint the professor for being sent back, he never went back inside and was living in a park before getting sucked in a portal.

"Look bud, I'm not gonna ditch ya for losing. That's just not my style. That loss is on me too, I've never done this Pokemon Battle thing."

"...Pin?" Spikes said softly. She was putting blame on herself, his old trainer never did that.

"That just mean we both gotta work harder! Your a knight now Spikes, are ya gonna keep sulking?" She questioned him with a smirk.

Chespin looked up at her. He's with an honest-to-goodness knight now and she was training him to be one. No way he was going to waste this opportunity!

"Chespin!"

"Thata boy! Come on, we can't train on empty stomachs!"

 **Later...**

After they ate Shani took Chaka to a secluded corner of the castle grounds, just to have a moment to themselves. She was currently showing her old magic tricks from her performer years. She was using a simple handkerchief to make instantly make banner of several tiny ones, and then into doves that flew out of her cloak.

Little Chaka was looking at the show with wide eyes, seeing his "mama" perform such tricks.

"Shinx! Shinx!" He squeaked, making an odd attempt with an applause.

Shani made a small smile at her little one but froze when she saw Ryo and Midnight watching her.

"Ryo?! How long were you there?!"

"The whole time. And I thought you promised to show me you magic tricks!" Ryo said in mock hurt.

"Uh... um..." Shani fumbled with her words as she blushed.

"I'm joking Shani! Jeez, no need to get flustered!" Ryo smiled as she and her Zorua sat on the ground beside Chaka. She never saw Shani with a personality other than angry or depressed or just plain rude. It was almost cute to see her embarrassed. "Think you can use two more people in your audience?"

Shani actually considered it for a moment. Like she said earlier, Ryo grates on her nerves the least out of the Shepherds, she did promise her a magic show and not to mention she's helping her with Chaka.

"Fine... You can stay." She answered with a tint of red still in her cheeks.

Ryo smiled at her answer. _I think I'm making progress breaking her shell! But there's still a whole Wailord's worth of work..._

 **Phew! I'm beat! But it was worth it!**

 **I'm sorry Chespin nickname came off as anticlimactic or lazy but when PozzyP suggested it to me in a PM along with the reason, it just made sense. Maybe next time I get stuck coming up with a nickname, your ideas will get a chance so keep a look out for the next time I ask.**

 **I know it's a long time coming but Emmeryn's assassination is coming next chapter, I promise (Oh my god, that cannot sound more awkward...) but I hope you like some of my headcannons here, trust me I binge watch Pokemon theory videos so I've thought long and hard on these things.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya and Happy Father's Day!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi again... This chapter was longer with the assassination along with these little moments in the beginning, but I realized halfway that it looked WAY too long so I cut the chapter in half and put the rest of the assassination in the next chapter luckily I'm writing it as we speak so come back tomorrow and I'll have it done.**

It was the day after Ylisstol's introduction to Pokemon, with the next morning was pretty surprisingly tranquil...

"IT BUUUUUURNS!"

... until Vaike made the 'brilliant' move of taking a bite out of a Tamato Berry. The Shepherds were in the castle gardens seeing Ryo and Jackie have a table with a whole bunch of berries sprawled about. Some they had beforehand and some they got from the merchants as thanks.

"WATER! WATER!"

Vaike immediately made a mad dash towards the nearest water barrel and dunked his head in.

"If you would've waited for my explanation you would've known that this isn't an extra breakfast! It's another lesson!" Ryo exclaimed as Midnight snickered as she was perched on her shoulder.

Vaike tried to glare at her but it didn't really work when everyone bursts out laughing at his comically swollen lips.

After taking a breather Sully turned to Ryo. "Phew! Ryo, what the hell was that fruit?"

"A Tamato Berry. One of the spiciest berries in my world."

"Aren't these a little... large to be berries?" Robin pointed out.

Sibuna simply shrugged. "That's what we've been calling them for years, we're not changing it now or it will be downright confusing."

"Anyway..." Jackie said as she tried to get back on topic. "Ryo and I brought out the berries we had with us to give you guys a quick tutorial on what you can use them for, since we noticed the berry tree's starting to grow outside of town."

"Very gracious of you. Learning about the properties of these berries from your world would be beneficial to our amplifying collaboration." Miriel stated.

"Uh...sure." Jackie stated blankly. She then picked up a small, royal blue berry. "For starters this is an Oran Berry, you use to regain a small amount of health. On the other hand a Sitrus Berry can heal even more health than an Oran Berry." She added picking up a larger yellow berry.

"Then there's Pecha Berries that heal poisons, Cheri Berries that heal paralysis and Chesto Berries that awakens someone from a forced slumber." Ryo said pointing at a collection pink fruit, tiny red fruit and a blue and brown fruit respectively.

 **...**

After the lesson on Berries (including the ones they didn't have, luckily they had a book) Frederick gave Jackie and Ryo the task of planting some of the berries at the Shepherd's barracks. Luckily they had some help.

"Thanks again for helping out guys." Jackie thanked Donnel and Kellam as they planted another berry in the soil. Even Shani and Chaka were there, for some odd reason.

Though it was pretty darn adorable watching the Shinx play around in the dirt as he tried to help, even making his surrogate mother crack a ghost of a smile.

"No problem, I kinda miss mucking around in the dirt." Kellam admitted.

Donny tilted his head at the knight. "Funny, I never really pegged ya for a farmer!"

"My father tilled the soil but my brothers and I helped with fields..." He explained as his Kecleon Camo padded the dirt where the planted a Pecha Berry.

"Say Jackie, how do ya'll know 'bout how to plant these here berries?" Donny asked.

"Well berries may be common knowledge for any trainer, my mom's a Pokemon Breeder and my dad's a Coordinator so they taught me more advanced stuff like which Pokemon prefer which berries and so on..." The brunette explained before looking downcast. Ryo looked at her with sadness, she couldn't believe she didn't notice Jackie's homesickness. It made her think of the one person back home that would miss her.

 _I wonder if Taro knows I'm gone..._ Her mind wandered to her elder brother.

Luckily Donny noticed the homesickness and went over to her. "Awww shucks, sorry Jackie. I shoulda realized you miss your folks..." _Like I miss my Ma..._

"N-No, it's fine Donny. You didn't know." Jackie assured as she wiped some forming tears from her eyes.

"I get how you feel..." Ryo brought up. "I miss my brother Taro a lot. He may be traveling doctor for people and Pokemon... but I think it's only a matter of time before he notices I haven't called him..."

"And what about your parents, Ryo?" Asked Kellam.

The Pokemon Watcher's face suddenly turned dark as she faced downward and her purple bangs covered her eyes. Midnight recognized that expression as curled up to her legs to try to calm her.

"Can we ...not talk about them? Please?" She said in a tone that sounded almost... angry.

That answer caught Kellam, Donnel and Jackie off guard. This is the first time they heard Ryo use a tone like that. Even Shani raised a brow in curiosity.

"Uh... Hey Shani! What's your family like?" Kellam desperately tried to change the subject.

But somehow it made things worse.

"Dead to me." Shani growled and hugging Chaka like he was her lifeline.

This made the already awkward atmosphere even more tense.

"Flaaa!" Sue Belle called suddenly breaking the tension. Everyone turned to the Flaaffy to see a peculiar scene of tiny blue Pokemon with lilly pads on their heads walking in a single file line with their lilly pads filled with water from the river they came out from.

"What the...?" Shani asked in bewilderment.

Jackie took out her Pokedex to get their entry.

 _ **Lotad, the Water Weed Pokemon. A Water/Grass type. Lotad is said to have dwelled on land before. However, this Pokémon is thought to have returned to water because the leaf on its head grew large and heavy. It now lives by floating in the water. This Pokemon is native to the Hoenn region.**_

"Lotad, Lotad, Lotad..." The Pokemon marched towards the raised dirt the berries were under and poured water from their heads.

"Are they... watering the crops?" Kellam asked to himself before turning to the trainers. "Is that normal for these Pokemon?"

"Not that I know of..." Ryo answered as she got out her sketchbook and started to draw the activity. "Like I explained for that Roselia, Grass types don't eat much do to them using photosynthesis like regular plants, they still need to eat. If I were to guess... maybe they're trying to grow more food since the berries outside the capital haven't grown yet."

She then noticed the Lotad blush at what she said.

"Guess you were right." Jackie noted.

Donnel then bent down to the Lotad. "Well thank y'all for helpin' out. How 'bout we give ya some treats to hold ya over 'til the trees grow?"

"Lotad!" That made them jump up and down with glee.

Ryo smiled a bit at the gesture. "Looks like you guys got some new neighbors."

 **Meanwhile...**

As that was going on, Frederick was supervising the other Shepherds training after finishing his errands, just in time to see Vaike and that Machoke (now named Bruiser) that has started to take a liking to him, challenging Chrom and Sibuna to a battle and Virion teaching the Roselia (who he named Fleur de Lis) how to be more accurate with her attacks. He also couldn't help but notice the Growlithe sitting like a statue monotoring the training.

Sibuna translated that Growlithe came from someplace called a "Police Academy" in Johto, where it was near finished with his training to join a law enforcement officer. To have his life goal ripped from under him, the knight couldn't help but feel bad.

"Good day, Growlithe." Frederick greeted the Fire type. Growlithe turned to him barking in acknowledgement before turning back.

Frederick said nothing else but walked to the Growlithe's side and stand there silently. The Puppy Pokemon spared him a glance, but did nothing.

"You thought I was going to pity you were you?"

Growlithe turned to Frederick in surprise.

"Don't fret, I realize you don't want that. I just wanted to say from the way you apprehended Bruiser yesterday any officer would be lucky to have you."

Growlithe barked in agreement, albeit quietly.

"That's why I want to make you an offer: to fight by my side as a fellow knight."

That made Growlithe bark in confusion and tilt his head.

"If I understand correctly, our occupations aren't that different from one another and I believe you have the potential to be a good knight." Frederick explained before bending down to look the Pokemon in the eyes.

"I will not force you to join me; the choice is yours to make. Though training with me will be no laughing matter, I assure you that you'll be treated as equal as the other soldiers in this army."

He finished by outstretching a hand to Growlithe. The dog-like Pokemon did give it some thought, knights really were no different from cops and his training wouldn't go to waste. Plus this human didn't seem so bad, given he only knew him for a day and a half.

Growlithe made up his mind as placed a paw in Frederick's hand and barked.

 **Three days later...**

Everyone was practically on the floor out of breath after going through "Frederick's Training from Hell". Even the trainers weren't excused from this, he got the idea for all the Pokemon in their ranks to learn wordless commands or try to think of solutions if their trainers weren't present or couldn't give commands.

The only one that didn't seem to be tired was Frederick's new Growlithe, now called Ignitus, who was currently barking at them as if to scold them.

"Chest... on... fire..." Robin gasped for breath, she turned to Arthur who felt like he was going to die a second time. "Can't... breath..."

"...As much as... I dislike you... I agree... this was insane." Shani wheezed as Chaka tried to nudge her back up.

"Well then you might as well die on the battlefield." Frederick stated, giving Robin a sense of deja vu from the other day. "Huh... looks like one of you has the right attitude."

The Shepherds managed to raise their heads (albeit weakly) to see Spikes walking, slowly but surely, right up to Ignitus; giving him a challenging look. "Ches...Pin..."

Ignitus got the message and released a Flamethrower at him, but the Chespin managed to dodge the flames. Then Spikes unleashed a Pin Missile attack and while it hit Ignitus square on he seemed to shake off the damage and dashed towards him with his mouth covered in flames (Fire Fang).

As the still tired Shepherd's sat up to watch the sudden battle, Sully couldn't help but smile at her partner taking the training (both her and Frederick's) to heart and trying to battle without her imput, even if he was still a little wonky with timing his attacks. With Frederick he was impressed that Ignitus was taking a direct approach with teaching.

Back with battle Ignitus charged with a Take Down while Spikes intercepted it with Rollout. While to some it would seem like a pretty even match, it was Ignitus who had upper hand, not just in type advantage but overall experience. He already noticed the Chespin's Rollout slowing down so he unleashed another Flamethrower and stopped the Rollout completely. Since Spikes wasn't knocked out the traditionaly battle would continue but Ignitus figured this would be enough for now.

He turned to Audino who was sitting by her new trainer (Lissa, was it?) and barked at her saying to come over.

"Oh!" Lissa said getting the message. "I think he wants you to heal them Angela."

"Audino." Angela nodded as she got up and used Heal Pulse on everyone in the area, not just the two who just battled.

But suddenly Spikes' body started glowing blue with a thin force field around him.

"Well I'll be damned..." Sully said with wide eyes.

"He's evolving!" Stahl exclaimed.

They saw Spikes' body grow larger and rounder. When then light exploaded they saw a larger, rounder version of Chespin, but the green armor that was just on his head now covering most off his body.

"Quilla?" Spikes looked at himself in confusion.

Ryo took out her Pokedex and got the entry.

 _ **Quilladin, the Spiny Armor Pokemon and the evolved form of Chespin. A Grass-type. It relies on its sturdy shell to deflect predators' attacks. It counterattacks with its sharp quills. This Pokemon is native to the Kalos region.**_

"Wow you sure surprised me, Spikes! Sure wasn't expecting you to evolve!" Praised Sully as she patted him on the back.

"After all that training you were giving him, I'm not surprised." Chrom brought up.

Ryo nodded in agreement. "Yeah Sully. You've been pushing Spikes to be the best he could be and I guess he wanted to prove that to you."

Sully gave her newly evolved Quilladin a proud smirk. "Well you proved that loud and clear bud!"

"Quilladin!" Spikes cheered.

 **That night...**

"Here's the milk for Chaka, Shani." Ryo said passing a bottle towards the myrmidon when they where in the castle dinning hall after Chaka woke her up with his whimpering and Shani woke Ryo up to help her (Midnight, despite being nocturnal, simply refused to get up due to exhaustion. Stupid knight...).

"...Thanks." Shani said feeding her Shinx.

"How's he doing, by the way?"

"Well... the other day I felt him shock me. It wasn't on purpose and it didn't exactly hurt but it just caught me by surprise." Shani admitted with embarrassment.

The purple haired girl simply smiled. "That just mean he's starting to use his Electric attacks. Mostly likely he's starting to use Charge. He's probably gonna be ready to battle soon, given he's drinking less milk now."

Shani just muttered something unintelligible as she put down the bottle, making Ryo sigh. "Look I get your still apprehensive about this but they are somethings you just can't control."

She then grasped the brunette's free hand not holding the Electric type. "It's gonna be fine."

Shani blushed for a moment before shaking it off. "C-Can you help me?"

Ryo couldn't help but smile at the slightly older girl. "Haha, sure."

Maybe it was because of Chaka but Shani, while slow going, was starting to calm her attitude and is becoming slightly less hostile. Although she still gives a wary glance to Robin and even Chrom and doesn't talk to them any more than a sentence's worth of a conversation; like she was expecting them to make a bad move.

"Well..." Shani said, breaking Ryo's thoughts. "I better get us back to sleep... Sorry for waking you up."

"No worries. I think I'm gonna stay up a little longer though."

Shani nodded as she took a sleepy Chaka in her arms back to the sleeping quarters, passing by Jackie doing a pretty good Risen impression, heading towards to where Ryo was and sat by her side.

... and why was she feeling a twinge of jealousy towards the second otherworlder?

"Hey Jackie. What are you doing up so late?" Ryo asked the other brunette next to her.

"Ugh... have you ever felt so exhausted but couldn't fall asleep no matter what you do?" Jackie moaned.

"Yeah I've my moments. Something on your mind?"

Jackie's eyes turned somber for a moment. "I just... really miss my family. Don't get me wrong, I like helping you teach these folks everything they can about Pokemon but I just can't help but wonder if they're worried about me. I've been on the road for a long time before but back home I can at least call them... here I can't do that. I'm in a place I don't know _anything_ about a-and I'm terrified of what's gonna happen."

Ryo knew she implying to the war and gave her a small hug to comfort her. "I know how you feel... these people have been nothing but nice to me and becoming pretty much a Pokemon expert overnight was pretty awesome but I still can't help but think about my brother. Does he know I'm gone? Is he looking for me? Does he think I'm..."

She stopped herself there to choke on a sob. Jackie noticed and hugged her back.

"You two sound close..."

"Y-Yeah... he's my best friend, aside from my Pokemon of course. In school I was one of those awkward kids who was seen but not heard." Ryo said with a small chuckle.

At that Jackie decided to risk it ask her something. "What about your parents? Won't they worry about you too?"

Ryo just pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "No they won't... maybe I should explain why."

"Wait a minute, why are you telling me? You've known the Shepherds longer."

"Yeah... but I'm still debating on whether or not I should tell them this." Ryo answered seriously before explaining further.

 **A few days later...**

That afternoon, Ryo was carrying a basket of Berries and other ingredients from the market to the kitchen, thinking today would be a good day to make Poke Puffs as a way to thank the Ylisseans for taking her in and Midnight by her side with a basket of her own on her head. Well after she managed to get away from Miriel when she was starting a new project to make a tome work like a Pokedex. Hey she doesn't know how those things work! So the mage roped in poor Jackie instead. _I may have to apologize to her later..._

She walked in to see Sumia and her Pidgeotto already in the kitchen with ingredients of her own. "Sumia?"

The pegasus knight jumped to see Ryo behind her. "Oh! Hello, Ryo. I didn't see you there."

"Haha, sorry. So what 'cha doing?"

"Well, um, Soren and I were just about to make a pie." Sumia said but somehow the Pokemon Watcher knew there was more to it.

"...A pie for Chrom, maybe?" She said with a sly look that made Sumia's face turn as red as a Tamato Berry. "Thought so."

"Um... uh..."

"Calm down Sumia! I won't tell anyone!" Ryo assured winking at her. Sumia only responded with a nervous laugh, only made worse when Midnight turned into her and gave her signiture Zorua laugh. "But as much as love your pies, how 'bout we try something a little different."

That piqued her curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Glad you asked! I was about to make Poke Puffs!" Ryo exclaimed with glee.

"Poke Puffs?"

"They're basically little cakes that can be fed to Pokemon. But with the right ingredients people can eat them to! Wanna try?"

Sumia smiled. "I guess trying something new wouldn't hurt, sure why not?"

"Pidgeo!" Soren chirped happily.

"First things first." Ryo took out a Pokeball from her belt and tossed it in the air. "Come out Sugar!"

Her Pokeball opened to reveal her Slurpuff. "Sluuur~!"

Sugar caught her sights on the Pecha Berries on the table and was about jump up and gobble them up but her trainer bopped her on the head to stop. "No Sugar! Bake first, snack later."

"Why is Sugar out?" Sumia asked in confusion. Knowing Sugar's lack of self control with sweets.

"Slurpuffs have some of the best sense of smell in the Pokemon world. So chefs and bakers in the Kalos region use them to help cook meals because they can sniff out the freshest ingredients."

Ryo proved her point by putting two bottles of milk in front of Sugar. She then started to sniff them both for a moment before pointing at the one on the right. "Puff!"

"Good girl!" Ryo praised as she put away the other bottle. "Trust me. With her these are gonna be delicious!"

Sumia started to smile even further.

 **...**

"Mmmmmm~! This is so tasty!" Stahl elated as he took a bite out of chocolate/strawberry Poke Puff with stars in his eyes. "Got any more?"

Ryo laughed a little at his expression. "Sorry Stahl. I still gotta give these to rest of the Shepherds. I'll make more next time, I promise."

"Aww, thanks."

"Let's see... Sumia has Chrom covered, I already gave one to Lissa and Angela, Sully and Spikes, Vaike and Bruiser, Virion and Fleur de Lis, Maribelle, Ricken... who's next?"

She then caught a glance of Heracross hiding behind a tree.

"Hi there." She greeted nicely but Heracross ducked behind the tree again.

"Heracross is a little shy." Stahl explained. "I've been trying to get close to him; since he hasn't really clicked with anyone yet. It turns out he loves food as much as I do! Especially if it has honey in it."

"Luckily for him, I got just the right puff!" Ryo pulled out a chocolate Poke Puff with a simple honey drizzle and gave it to the cavalier. "Well I'm off, see ya later!"

"Yeah, see ya!" Stahl said as she left. He made his way slowly towards Heracross with the Poke Puff in his hand. "Hey there buddy, I got a treat for ya. It's has honey in it, your favorite..."

That made the Bug/Fighting type peek ever so slightly from behind the tree "Heracross?"

 **Later that night...**

After she gave Poke Puffs to the rest of the Shepherds, or in Lon'qu's and Pawniard's (now named Takeshi) case she dropped them off, half because they were too engrossed in sparring and half because Lon'qu still wouldn't go near her and gave one to Jackie as an apology for using her as a scapegoat for Miriel, though the younger girl still claimed Ryo owed her big time.

Then she found Shani playing with Chaka with what looked like a worn out cat plushie and gave them both Poke Puffs. Now that Chaka can eat solid foods, he seemed to like citrus flavors. Though it did catch her by surprise that Shani wanted to hang out with her but she decided not to look a gift Rapidash in the mouth at the fact that Shani was trying to be friendly.

They were heading back inside the castle but not before Ryo bumped into another pegasus knight with long red hair.

"Oh, excuse me." She apologized.

"That's ok." Ryo responded before they continued their way, seeing other pegasus knights walk by them and Phila writing a report in the throne room.

Noticing she had company, Phila looked up from her report. "Hello, Miss Kihara. Can I help you?"

"Um, hi Phila. Do you know where Emmeryn is?"

"She is in her sleeping quarters further down the hall to the left. Any particular reason you want to see the Exalt?" The head pegasus knight asked.

Ryo looked nervous for a moment. "I-I just wanted to give her a little treat from my world, as a way to say thanks for welcoming me in Ylisse."

She then pulled out a mint Poke Puff. "I made one for you too."

A little surprised by the gesture, Phila took the cake from her hands. "Why... thank you."

"Your welcome." Ryo said with a smile.

 **...**

"I don't get it." Shani spoke up after a while as they looked for the room Emmeryn was in.

"What don't you get?" Ryo asked in confusion.

"Why are you going out of they way to give a little cake to the Exalt?"

Ryo didn't understand where she was going with this but answered anyway. "Well... this war with Plegia is practically inevitable and I know how much it hurts her. It may not be much but I just hope to raise her spirits a little. Don't tell me you don't trust her either..."

Before the myrmidon could answer they saw the room open, with Emmeryn sitting in a chair with a forlorn expression. Seeing this Midnight and Chaka dashed inside and sat at the Exalt's feet.

Opening her eyes to see the Pokemon there smiling at her, she managed a small smile back. "Hello there, little ones. What are you doing here?"

"They're with us Your Highness." Ryo said as she and Shani stepped in.

"Oh, good evening. Anything I can help you with?"

"Actually I wanted to give you this." Ryo pulled out a Poke Puff with vanilla and chocolate swirls. "It's a Poke Puff, a snack from my world. I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay with the Shepherds and allowing me to teach your people about Pokemon. That and... I thought I would help you feel better, considering this whole Plegia mess."

Emmeryn smiled at the girl's concern, gingerly took the cake from her hands and took a small bite. After swallowing, she smiled again. "You are very welcome Ryo. I appreciate your concern; as much as it pains me, this war is going to happen."

"Excuse me Exalt, but as much as I loath those Grimleal bastards and I could care less about what happens to them, Ylisse started this whole mess with the previous Exalt's pointless religious crusade." Shani spoke up.

Ryo looked at Shani in shock while Emmeryn seemed to remain neutral before asking. "You make a valid point and I do acknowledge my father did start this whole tragedy but explain what you mean by 'pointless'."

"Exactly that. Religion is nothing more than a farce that the human race will forever use to control the masses. So many rules and for what? And for what good reason? Because some two-bit priest said that the gods say so? And bad things _still happen._ Please, if only people realize that gods don't exist and we have to rely on ourselves to decide what's right and wrong, everyone will be much, _much_ better off."

Ryo narrowed her eyes a bit at her rant. This sounds eerily similar to what Shani told her the night Donnel got recruited. This further proves that Shani has something against religion in general. But why?

 _What happened to you Shani?_ Ryo thought.

Emmeryn surprisingly didn't look offended, instead she took Shani's hands. "I don't necessarily share your views on gods but I do understand how you feel about people who take advantage of religion or people's beliefs for their own gain. My own father did the same and Ylisse suffered for it. Has something happened to you make you turn you turn your back on faith?"

"None of your business." The brunette warned.

"Shani!" Ryo scolded but Emmeryn shook her head.

"No, she's right. It was not my place to pry. I apologize."

"*Sigh* Apology accepted..." Shani said. _What is it about this woman that I can't stay mad at her?!_

 **Meanwhile...**

Chrom was standing outside getting some air, every once and a while looking at the Key Stone Ryo gave him, now sewn into his left glove. Thinking of Ylisse' s new neighbors in the Pokemon, worrying on how Plegia would try to take advantage of their presence should they find out and so many other things sleep was the last thing on his mind. He couldn't help but sigh.

"Chrom? What are you doing out so late?"

Chrom turned around to see Robin coming towards him with Arthur and Sibuna flanking her sides. Now Sibuna was wearing silver shoulder armor, similar to his own, with his Lucarionite embedded in his left.

"Oh, hi, Robin. Arthur, Sibuna . Just...dueling with some unpleasant thoughts... Tomorrow we march to Regna Ferox to request additional soldiers." Chrom said before sighing again. "But there's something you should know first. ...Not everything Gangrel said was a lie."

This made their eyes widen slightly. Considering they saw how despicable Gangrel was.

"What do you mean Chrom?" Sibuna questioned, voicing their thoughts.

"The last exalt, my father, waged war on Plegia for many years. The violence... It was a brutal campaign, ending only with his death 15 years ago. Plegia rightfully remembers their suffering, but his war was no kinder to his own people. As the fighting dragged on, our army became more and more diminished. Farmers who could barely wield a pitchfork were conscripted and sent to their deaths. Soon there was no food at all, and the kingdom began to collapse. I was young, but I remember those dark times. ...I know how they affected Emmeryn."

"That's awful..." Sibuna said quietly.

"Hone..." Arthur droned sadly

"Such an experience would change anyone." Robin added.

Chrom nodded "Indeed. When our father died before her 10th year, he left her quite the legacy... Plegia's desire for vengeance... Our own people's unbridled rage... My sister became a target for blame from all sides. Her own subjects began to hurl insults—and stones. She still bears the scar from one... But she never let them see her pain. Only Lissa and I understood."

Sibuna's eyes widened in surprise. Children back home already have a lot of responsibility because they usually start leaving home to go on Pokemon journeys, but running a country at the age of ten? How did Emmeryn not snap?

Arthur also couldn't help but think back to his past life. He was tasked to protect the king's beloved Floette from harm... and he failed. He died in battle, the Floette died as well and his sister had to be the one to present the king his Floette's body, driving him mad with grief. The rest is, how you say, history.

Robin was the one who broke the silence for them "It must have been so hard..."

Chrom nodded in agreement once more, looking down sadly. "I cannot claim to know how she does it, Robin. I could never greet such hostility with warmth and patience. While our people mocked and vilified her, she reached out and healed them. She brought soldiers home to their families. She ended the war. And when Ylisse's spirit was mended and the people "forgave" her? ...She never resented them for it. She represents the best of the halidom—the part most worth protecting. She IS peace. But some men would take advantage of that. Men like King Gangrel. The day he understands peace will be the day death gives it to him. ...So perhaps I must be death's agent. Emmeryn would never order him killed, nor would I wish her to."

"Well spoken, sir." Said a new voice.

Everyone turned to see that familiar masked swordsman come out of the shadows.

"Marth..." Chrom's eyes narrowed.

"Good evening to you." Marth replied politely.

"How did you get in here?" The prince questioned in suspicion.

"The cleft in the castle wall, behind the maple grove." Marth answered.

That caught Chrom by surprise. "There? But how would you...? Ugh."

"You know the place, Chrom?" Robin inquired.

Chrom turned to her, embarrassed. "Yes. I bashed in part of the wall while training the Shepherds. It's only a small hole, and I'd thought it well concealed, but..."

Marth interrupted by speaking again. "Your secret is safe with me. I come here only to warn you."

Chrom raised a brow. "Warn us?"

"The exalt's life is in danger."

"What, Emmeryn? That's absurd. She's guarded at all hours."

"What if... What if I told you I have seen the future? Would you believe me? A future where Emmeryn is killed. Here. Tonight." The masked man said ominously.

Chrom looked skeptical, considering everything that has happened "Seen the future? Have you lost your wits?"

Marth sighed; almost in disappointment. "Yes, I expected you wouldn't believe me. So allow me to prove it!"

Marth pulls out his sword and Chrom followed suit by putting a hand on the hilt.

The masked man did nothing but spoke some words. "I'm about to save your life. ...From him."

Suddenly an assassin rises from the bushes, Marth threw his sword upwards and jumped. He grabbed the sword and killed the enemy by slashing his back in an impressive display.

"I trust this proof will suffice?"

"...Yeah."

Suddenly Sibuna raised his aura sensors as he sensed more movement. "Marth! Behind you!"

Another assassin rises from the bushes which caught Marth off guard. He slipped on the sword that the first assassin dropped and the second assassin's sword slashed across Marth's mask, letting loose his, or rather her, long hair and revealing Marth's feminine face.

Chrom sped past Marth and took care of the assassin. Then he turned to face the very much female Marth.

"Wait, you're— You're a woman?"

"And quite the actress, too. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't figure it out until just now." She said almost smugly.

Then an explosion noise goes off in the palace and everyone dashed inside. After they were gone, a certain Absol stepped out of the bushes. _I suppose it's time I make myself known..._

 **Once again I'm SO sorry that I keep pushing the assassination back but like I said I'm tweaking that part right now so it will be done quickly if so help me! I would've updated both chapters at the same time but my town had three power outages in day (ARGH!) so I was unable too...**

 **But still... Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya tomorrow!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Well here's the other chapter like I promised. Late at night and my tablet's almost out of charge, BUT I DID IT!**

"Remember, I want the Emblem in my hand and Emmeryn dead on the floor. Let nothing distract you from either purpose." Said a tall dark skinned mage, with equally dark hair and goatee wearing purple robes to a whole group of assassins

"As you will it."

All the assassins were eager to do the job; except for a orange haired, lollipop eating thief in the back who had a horrified look on his face.

"Whoa, whoa, did I just hear that right? We're to KILL the exalt? I'm just here for the plunder. You know, line my pockets with some royal goods. The exalt's such a sweet lady... Sure, I'll rob her blind, but I'd never harm her!"

At that the thief backed away into the shadows, hoping he could somehow stop the assassination.

Chrom and the others ran as fast as fast as they could to Emmeryn's room. He turned behind them to face his Lucario, who had his eyes closed and his aura sensors up. "Do you sense them Sibuna?"

"Yes. A whole group of them! They broke through the doors!" He responded feeling several unfamiliar auras.

Not wasting any time they made to Emmeryn's room, where she was thankfully unharmed and surprisingly, she was with Ryo and Shani.

"Emm!" Chrom cried out in relief.

"Chrom! Take Lissa and flee while you still have time!" Emmeryn pleaded.

"No! We're not leaving you! Just stay where it's safe!"

At that they left further down the hall and Ryo turned to the exalt. "Don't worry Emmeryn, we'll stay to protect you! Right Shani?"

As much as Shani wanted to bolt (again) Emmeryn did have enough of her respect to make sure nothing happens to her. "Right."

Seeing Chrom come out from a distance the mage leading the assassination couldn't help but scowl. "Hmph! Two assassins and the little princeling was not even wounded? ...Wait. Some of these actors do not belong on this stage..."

His eyes laid on Robin and got a disturbing grin on his face.

"Ho ho! Can it be?! After years of searching... Tonight, fate truly piles the gifts at my feet! And what's this...?"

He gazed at the floating sword, the bipedal canine and when the rest of the Shepherds came along several other unique creatures followed them.

"So... the rumors were true after all..."

 **...**

Marth looked at her slightly unsheathed sword and saw it glowing "Falchion is gleaming..."

"What's wrong?" Chrom asked.

"It's not your concern." She responded as she sheathed it back.

"Seems like nothing ever is with you."

"My apologies." Marth said, looking genuinely guilty.

"Just stay by Emmeryn's door. We'll handle the killers."

Marth complied and went to the exalt's room, where Emmeryn was accompanied by her temporary bodyguards, who seemed to tell her to stay in her

The one with the purple hair recognized her immediately and walked towards her. "Marth? Is that you?"

"Y-Yes."

"Had a hunch you were a girl." She mentioned absentmidedly.

"What?"

 **...**

Meanwhile not to far away, two figures snuck into the castle from the back window. One looked human enough, shad lightly tanned, had long dark brown hair done in braids and light purple body armor in several places but the most interesting thing about her was that she had rabbit ears tied with her braids, fur patches in several places and a short tail rabbit tail.

Her companion was also rabbit-like but looked nothing like her. It was much shorter, had a mostly blue body with a white, bubble-like pattern near the bottom. But it was also wearing similar lavender armor but it only wrapped around its stomach.

"I knew there was wisdom in slipping in with those rogues, Jharna." The rabbit-like humanoid said with anger. "Look how these man-spawn claw at each other like savages! I will repay my warren's debt and then wash my hands of their race."

"Azumarril..." The blue rabbit said sadly. She really hoped her friend wouldn't still be so hateful of all humans, even though she couldn't really fault her for thinking so. As they kept going down the hall as ran into a certain Lucario with his aura sensors up and a Growlithe with it's nose glowing green (Odor Sleuth).

"Here!" The Lucario exclaimed as five more people came behind them.

"Another assassin?" Chrom questioned getting his sword ready but Marth stopped him.

"Hold! Panne is not your enemy."

"You know her?"

"I know...of her. And I knew she would come here tonight." Marth replied cryptically.

Chrom sighed at the answer. "Quite the prophet, aren't you?"

"As you say. And I swear to you, Panne is an ally."

"...Good enough for me. All right, Shepherds! For now, we leave this Panne character be."

"Is that wise, milord?" Frederick asked in concern.

Chrom responded with a nod. "Marth has earned our trust. She enjoys her secrets, I know. ...Like her gender, for one. But she's also saved our lives. Twice. And that's enough for me."

Marth looked at the prince with immense gratitude. "Chrom... Thank you."

"Now, to the matter at hand: driving these scoundrels from our castle!"

Right at that moment four of said scoundrels, two axe wielders, an assassin and a dark mage, came from both directions blocking them. Making the fighters split off to fight them.

The new arrival, Panne, responded by slamming her hands (with a purple stone in one of her hands) into the ground and surrounding herself with rock-like energy. When the "rock" exploded in her place was a giant, horse sized rabbit, with glowing red eyes wearing the same armor but enlarged to fit her better. Not wasting any time she quickly swiped swiped a paw at an assassin, killing him instantly.

"Azumarril!" Jharna cheered.

"Whoa..."

Panne and Jharna turned to see the two girls that tagged along with them, one of them had incredibly foreign looking clothing.

"What are you?" Ryo asked.

"I am a taguel. Basically a shape-shifter." Panne answered begrudgingly, expecting her to say something about that...

"Cool!"

Ok... she certainly wasn't expecting that. She was expecting the fear and hatred that humans look, but this girl was looking at her with curiosity and wonder.

"You two focus! We got company!" Shani exclaimed, bringing them back to reality, with more axe wielders and dark mages coming through.

"Azu!" Jharna responded first by spitting out boiling hot water (Scald) on one of the fighters' face.

"Shinx!" Chaka did the same by surrounding his body with electricity (Spark) and ramming the same guy into unconsciousness, giving opportunity for Shani to stab him.

But it gave a dark mage time to fire a spell at her.

"Oh no you don't! Midnight, Dark Pulse!" Ryo commanded.

Midnight complied by releasing a beam of dark rings, countering the spell and for extra measure she jumped at the dark mage and used Fury Swipes on his face.

"That'a girl!" Ryo praised but suddenly her Pokeball popped open and Sugar came out.

"Sugar, what are doing? I didn't let you come out!" Ryo asked in confusion. But her Slurpuff ignored her and sniffed the air for a moment.

"SLURPUFF!" Sugar squealed as she ran full speed in the opposite direction.

"Sugar! Where are you going?!" Ryo exclaimed as she ran after the Meringue Pokemon.

Midnight barked in distress of her trainer running off into danger.

"Go protect her! We'll handle this!" Shani assured the Zorua.

Midnight nodded and ran in Ryo's direction. Panne, in turn was impressed by the Pokemon's loyalty to her master. Jharna already told her about Pokemon's relationship with humans when they met and at first she didn't want to believe that creatures with powers over nature itself would allow to be tamed by man-spawn _willingly_ and yet here it was.

 _That girl... she knows how to talk to non-humans._

 **Meanwhile...**

Ignitus chomped down a brigand's arm with Fire Fang to hold him down as his master brought down an axe to give the final blow.

"Good work Ignitus. Our training paid off tremendously." Frederick praised the Growlithe who barked in response while keeping focus on the battle.

But that focus broke when a pink blur ran pass them, with Ryo following.

"Hi Frederick! Bye Frederick!"

"...What?"

 **...**

Chrom cut another dark mage down as Sibuna used Metal Claw on an assassin. Afterwards in the corner of his eye, he saw a certain orange haired thief.

"Drop your weapon, or die where you stand!" He ordered.

The thief raised his hands in defense "Easy there, blue blood. I'm not here to hurt anyone."

"...Yet you run with a band of assassins?" Chrom said skeptically.

"Believe it or not, just trying to make a living. I'm a thief, see? Bust open doors, crack into chests...that kind of thing. This lot said they wanted to break into some type of vault. Nobody said anything about murder. I'd just as soon sit this one out."

"It's true, Chrom." Sibuna said with his aura sensors up. "Unlike every other intruder, he has no killing intent."

Chrom thought about it. Sibuna hasn't steered him wrong yet and this man does seem sincere, as ironic as that is. "Hmm... Then perhaps you'd be willing to prove your good intentions?"

"Beg pardon?"

"We need all the help we can get to save the exalt's life. You appear capable, and we could use any information you have about our foes." Chrom said.

"Oh, right—those good intentions. Fine then, I'll prove my sincerity...if you sweeten the deal."

Chrom huffed a bit "You want gold? ...Fine, you scoundrel. Let me just—oops."

"Looks like you dropped something. What's in the satchel, mmm?" The thief asked, eyeing the bag.

"Nothing—candies from my little sister. I'm sure you—"

The thief's expression froze "Candies"? As in, sugar candies?"

Chrom shrugged "Well...yes, I assumed they'd be sweet? But—"

"IT'S A DEAL!" He responded in a crazed expression.

"...You'll risk your life for us if I give you...a bag of candy?" Chrom asked incredulously.

"I said "sweeten the deal," didn't I? Don't get me wrong, I'll take the gold, too. Later. Unless you've got more of these. ...Have you got more of these?!"

"Um...I'll ask Lissa." The prince said; incredibly disturbed.

Then rapid footsteps were heard.

"Do you hear that?" Sibuna asked.

Not even a second later a pink blur came out of nowhere and pounced on the thief.

"SLUUUURR!"

"AHHHH!"

Chrom and Sibuna could only stare at the incredibly weird scene of Sugar basically trying to eat the man.

"Sugar!" Ryo called out to her Slurpuff, when she finally caught up she made the same face as Chrom and Sibuna. "Uh..."

"Why is there a cream puff trying to eat me?!" The orange hair man exclaimed trying to push the Fairy-type away.

"Puff! Puff!" Sugar squealed trying to get to the candy and the sweet smelling man.

Before she got answer, everyone heard words that put a pit in their stomachs.

"We got her! We got the exalt!"

They turned their heads to see Emmeryn backed against a wall by several assassins and dark mages.

"No Emmeryn!" Chrom exclaimed.

Ryo's eyes widened in panic. "What is she doing out of her room?!"

But then suddenly Emmeryn did something that nobody expected. She raised her hand at one assassin and fired a Shadow Ball!

The other bandits were in shock that one of their own was blasted against a wall by someone who was supposed to be a pacifist and with dark magic no less! But then something didn't look right...

"Since when did the exalt get a tail?"

Ryo grinned as she saw furry black tail behind 'Emmeryn'. "Midnight!"

"Heeheehee!" 'Emmeryn' giggled in a way that was very unlike her as she somersaults back into a Zorua and jumping over her captors.

"We've been tricked! Get that fox!"

"Arthur use Shadow Ball!" Robin exclaimed from a distance firing her Elfire tome.

"Honedge!" Arthur came out using a Shadow Ball of his own at the attackers, merging with his trainer's Elfire. He was grateful that Robin thought it would be good to replace Fury Cutter for this when he was training with Jackie's Gengar.

"Nice work, my friend!" Robin complemented her Honedge.

Then arrows and tiny purple needles (Poison Sting) came out of nowhere sniped the rest of them. Virion and Fleur de Lis came from behind a wall.

"Well my little Fleur, that combination was a thing of beauty!" Virion said.

"Roselia~!" Fleur responded by bowing elegantly.

"Great timing guys!" Ryo exclaimed with a smile as Midnight jumped back on her shoulder.

"Um... hello?!" Exclaimed the Shepherds new recruit, still fighting off Sugar. "A little help here?!"

But then another dark mage came behind him firing a Flux spell at him but Sugar responded first by jumping ahead and unleashing a bright light (Dazzling Gleam), blasting the attacker away.

"Wow... Thanks Cream Puff." He said.

"Slurpuff~!" Sugar squeaked as she jumped on him again.

"GET OFF!"

 **...**

Back at Emmeryn's room entrance, Marth was nearby trying to keep the assailants away. As predicted Panne was effective in dealing with them but she certainly wasn't expecting her to be accompanied by a smaller blue rabbit that had water abilities.

Suddenly she got hit with a Flux spell while she was distracted.

"Gah!" She exclaimed as she tried to get back up. Seeing her opponent about to fire another spell she panicked. _No! I can't fall here! NOT NOW!_

But then the dark mage got slashed in the back by something large, glowing and green. When the mage dropped dead, Marth laid eyes on her savior: a white furred feline creature with it's sickle-like horn glowing that green light (Megahorn) before it turned back to normal.

Marth stared dumbly at the moment before remembering from the outsiders' explanation on these creatures and how they were sentient. "T-Thank you"

"Absol." It said in a gruff voice.

She then got back on her feet and looked at the creature in the eyes. "Shall we continue?"

"Sol."

 **...**

The fight was difficult, but thanks to the Pokemon it was going by quicker than expected. Especially to the Shepherds that are usually on mounts were still able to contribute to the battle. Stahl apparently bonded enough with Heracross enough for him to follow his orders, Sumia was mastering at guiding Soren through the air even without her pegasus, Sully, Vaike and Lon'qu with their respective partners were total powerhouses and even Lissa and Angela were the ideal healing duo, with Angela unleashing the occasional Disarming Voice when someone gets too close.

And to Chrom's surprise Marth was accompanied by (what he believed) to be the very same Absol from all those nights ago and he was sure because the Absol seemed to recognize him.

Chrom and Sibuna made it outside, seeing Jackie already there flying on her Charizard, Talvian, keeping the assassins away with Flamethrowers, but wasn't directly killing them so he and Sibuna took care of it.

Seeing his forces fall so easily made the leading dark mage seeing red.

"Emmeryn was supposed to be an easy target... You will pay for interfering in my designs!" He growled at the two.

"I don't think so! Aura Sphere!" Sibuna exclaimed and unleashed his famous attack, starting the battle.

The three of them started started to tangle but the mage was definitely stronger than the other assassins.

"This getting us nowhere!" Chrom groaned in frustration after being pushed back by another spell.

Sibuna turned towards his partner in a serious manner. "Chrom... Shall we try it?"

Knowing what the Lucario meant, his eyes widened. They haven't tried it yet because he wanted to save it for a dire situation but this definitely counts as a dire situation.

"Yes."

"Oh? What are going to do? No matter, you'll be as good as dead soon, anyhow!" The mage gloated.

But Sibuna moved in front of Chrom as he held up the Key Stone in his glove.

"Sibuna! Release your hidden strength and Mega Evolve!" Chrom exclaimed as he pressed the Key Stone and it shone a bright light as the Lucarionite in Sibuna's shoulder pad glowed as well. The light two lights expanded as if searching for each other and when they connected Sibuna's form glowed a rainbow light as his form began to change and grow taller.

When the light exploded, Chrom eyes widened at the transformation. Sibuna had grown at least a foot taller, his aura sensors lengthened long enough to look like dreadlocks, the yellow fur on his chest grown immensely to look like a bushy cape and his hands and feet were tipped with red markings.

The others that were in the castle (now that it was clear of bandits) were all wide eyed and slack jawed at the display.

"Whoa..."

"Amazing!"

"So cool!"

"Sibuna, how do you feel?" Chrom asked

The Lucario was silent for a moment before responding with a grin. "Powerful..."

The dark mage, despite looking so confident before, now looked terrified on sensing the spike in power with this creature.

"W-What are you?"

"Your worst nightmare..." Sibuna growled. "Metal Claw!"

Sibuna's arm spikes now turned into glowing metallic claws and now thanks to Mega Evolution and the ability Adaptability the power looked even more condensed. He took of with blinding speed and slashed the mage several times across the chest before he couldn't even react.

"No... This is...all...wrong... How could...you have known the plan..." The mage whispered before falling dead.

Everyone stood shock still at how quickly Sibuna killed the man. Coming out of his stupor Chrom walked towards the Mega Pokemon.

"Sibuna, that was amazing! I've never seen anything like it!" But he stopped when he saw that Sibuna didn't look right. "S-Sibuna?"

Chrom gasped at the look on Sibuna's face. He no longer saw an intelligent being looked like a crazed beast. Sibuna howled loudly and fired an incredibly condensed Aura Sphere at him.

"Chrom!"

"Milord!"

The blunette got out of the way in the nick of time but looked in worry that his partner was firing Aura Spheres everywhere, some close to hitting the castle walls.

"Sibuna, stop! What's wrong with you?!" Chrom exclaimed in distress.

"Chrom get back!" Jackie exclaimed from the air.

"Jackie?"

"I got this!" She assured looking at the Lucario. "Sorry about this Sibuna. Talvian use Flamethrower! Full power!"

Talvian roared as he unleashed another stream of fire, more powerful than before, right on the Mega Lucario. Sibuna seemed to try to go through the flames but the heat from the flames, combined with the fatigue and injuries of all those battles, he couldn't take it anymore and collapsed on the ground.

"Ok Talvian, you can stop!"

The Charizard complied and stop the flames in time to see Sibuna revert back to his old self.

"SIBUNA!" Chrom exclaimed as he went by his side

Sibuna opened his eyes slowly to look at the prince. "I-I'm sorry Chrom... I was hoping this wouldn't happen."

"What?"

"Chrom!" Emmeryn exclaimed as she and the other Shepherds ran out the door.

As worried as Chrom was for Sibuna he was relieved to see his big sister unharmed. "Emm! Thank the gods you're safe!"

"It is you I have to thank, Chrom. But I think Sibuna deserves some attention more than I do right now." Emmeryn said worried about the Lucario.

"I thank you for your concern, Emmeryn. But your safety is more important than mine..." Sibuna responded tiredly as Chrom sat him up.

Emmeryn smiled at him sadly. "I see my brother made an impression on you..."

"I beg your forgiveness, milord!" Phila interrupted "I failed in my duty—they should have never made it into the castle in the first place."

Chrom shook his head "Peace, Phila. You couldn't have known what was coming. Only Marth could..."

Emmeryn blinked at the name "...Marth?"

"Yes, I would speak more with..." Chrom said but as he scanned the crowd he noticed while Absol was still here, Marth wasn't. "Um... Robin, where's Marth?"

Robin looked around to see if she was still around but she saw nothing. "Hmm... An excellent qeustion. She was here a moment ago..."

"...Not again!" Chrom exclaimed wanting to after her but he didn't want to leave Sibuna.

"Go. We'll take care of Sibuna." Lissa assured as she Angela, Ryo and Jackie (after she returned Talvian to his ball) stepped forward. Chrom nodded as he got up and ran off, with Absol not far behind.

 **...**

Marth walked outside, looking at the castle grounds in a forlorn and almost nostalgic expression. And was just about to leave before Chrom blocked her path.

"Going somewhere? You have a bad habit of leaving without saying good-bye, you know." Chrom said.

"Yes, I'm afraid I have a few bad habits."

"Good ones as well—you saved my life as well as both of my sisters. Is there a way I can repay you? Some favor I can grant?"

Marth smiled. Almost sadly. "Hearing you offer is reward enough."

Chrom didn't exactly looked satisfied with her answer. "But there must be something..."

"I already have what I came for: history has been rewritten"

"And what future averted?"

"After the exalt's untimely assassination, the Fire Emblem would be stolen. This, in turn, would lead to a great war, and soon to the end of mankind itself." Marth explained before stopping to look down "...But I'm sure that sounds like madness to you."

Chrom was silent for a moment. To the common person, it does sound crazy. But considering everything that happened, how she knew so much, not to mention Pokemon showing up, he's become pretty open minded. "...Strangely, no. It doesn't. Somehow I know I can trust you. And I hope someday to repay your favors."

Marth smiled genuinely "Perhaps one day you shall. Until then..."

The swordswoman turns to leave but...

"Sol!"

She turned to see that white creature, Absol, come from behind Chrom and walked up to her.

"You again..." She said.

"Absol." The creature nodded before nudging her hand.

"I... don't understand. What does it want?"

Chrom smiled a bit "I think I do. Absol wants to be yours."

"W-What?" Marth asked in shock.

"This just a hunch, mind you. But I believe you've gained this Pokemon's respect enough for him to want you to be his trainer. Is that correct?"

"Sol." The Dark type nodded.

Marth was really confused; she really didn't know what to make of this. But from the shockingly intelligent look on his face, Absol wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

 _These... Pokemon... they truly are fascinating creatures. Everything is changing more than I thought, but maybe... this change won't be so bad._ Marth thought.

"If you truly desire this Absol, then very well. I will be your trainer." She told the Pokemon, who nodded in satisfaction. Marth then turned her back towards the prince before saying. "Come."

Without much protest, Absol followed her obediently into the night but not before turning to Chrom to give a nod of acknowledgement; leaving the prince to think of his own Pokemon.

 _Sibuna..._

 **Later...**

After seeing Marth off, Chrom came back inside the palace to see Emmeryn was facing Panne and what he could assume was another Pokemon.

"Brave taguel, there are not words to express my gratitude." Emmeryn thanked.

Panne narrows her eyes. "So you know our true name?"

"Sorry, what's a taguel?" Robin asked in confusion.

"I am a taguel." Panne answered but stopped as if remembering something terrible "The... The last taguel. We are shape-shifters. Most of your kind called us "beast" or "coney" in the midst of their hunt. I only helped you because my warren owes Ylisse a debt. Do not think us friends, you and I!"

"Azumarril!" Jharna scolded Panne.

"I don't understand..." The tactician sai

"Yes, it's precious little your kind seem to understand. It was man-spawn like you that invaded our warren and slaughtered my people."

Emmeryn looked horrified "What?! Is this true? Who would do such a thing?"

Panne scoffed at her words. "Ha! Do not act so shocked. You are all the same. Right down to your base desire to ruin and destory all you touch—even each other."

 _Welcome to my world..._ Shani thought in sympathy with the taguel.

Emmeryn looked down sadly. "...There is truth to your words, perhaps. I'm told that, in taguel society, everyone is treated as an equal. Mankind could have learned much from your warren. The words may come too late and mean too little, but I am deeply sorry. We have stolen your friends and family and made the world a lesser place."

"Your Grace—you had no fault in this!" Phila tried to assure.

Panne didn't look convinced "You claim to be blameless, and yet you would apologize? Pah! Your words are but wind."

"I know... But they are all I have."

Panne got closer to Emmeryn and looked her in the eyes for any trace of malice, only to find none. At all. Maybe Jharna had a point about humans...

"...You seem sincere, man-spawn. You feel my pain as your own. ...I've never felt that before. Look at me. ...See what I am. I will never trust mankind. But you... Perhaps you truly are not like the others."

Emmeryn bowed to her in gratitude. "All I ask is a chance to earn your trust."

Shani gaped slightly at what happened. _How the hell does she keep doing that?!_

Then the exalt bent down to the taguel's companion. "And who might this be?"

"This is my friend Jharna. She is a creature know as an Azumarril." Panne introduced.

"Azu!" Jharna greeted.

Ryo took out her Pokedex to get the entry.

 _ **Azumarril, the Aqua Rabbit Pokemon. A Water/Fairy type. Its long ears are superb sensors. It can distinguish the movements of things in water and tell what they are. This Pokemon is native to the Johto region.**_

Panne blinked silently. "Oh... I didn't realize you already know about these ...Pokemon."

Ryo rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah... Jackie and I are introducing Pokemon to the people here... Wait... how did you know what they were called?!"

"Jharna told me herself. We were both pretty surprised by this when we met."

"So taguel can understand Pokespeak?! That's so amazing!" Ryo exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

Panne couldn't help but smile at her. _I think I'm going to like this girl._

 **Elsewhere...**

Somewhere, in a room full of shadows, the dark mage from earlier awoke. And he was furious "Nngh... How?! My purpose is too significant...to be thwarted...here... Aaargh..."

Then a mysterious shadowy figure enters. "Validar."

"What? Who are you... Where did you...come from?"

"I am the power that compels you. You will not perish here. It is not written. You must live on to author a destiny greater than you know."

The mage's eyes widened at who this was "I-impossible! It can't be you! It can't be..."

All the figure did was smile a sinister smile "I am the wings of despair. I am the breath of ruin. I am the fell dragon, Grima..."

 **Back at the palace...**

"It will take time to investigate how the assassination plot got so far. We have no leads at present." Phila said to Emmeryn, Chrom, Frederick, Robin and Lissa as everyone else was sent to their rooms tried to manage whatever sleep they could get.

Chrom felt like there was no need for investigation "It was Plegia! I'm sure of it. They'd do anything for the Emblem. Emm, you can't stay here. Come to Ferox where it's safe."

Emmeryn shook her head adamantly. "And leave the people undefended? War is at our borders, Chrom. Do you expect Ylisse to stand against Plegia without a leader? They must know their exalt stands with them."

"But if something happens to you? What then?"

"Your Grace, perhaps you might relocate to the eastern palace for the time being? The other kingdoms know nothing of it. You would be safer." Frederick suggested.

Chrom nodded in agreement. "Yes, please. At least that. I can't leave for Ferox with you right in harm's way."

Emmeryn gave it some thought before responding. "...Hmm. Very well."

Chrom smiled at his sister listening to them. "Thanks, Emm. I mean it. We'll escort you to the palace before we head north to the border."

She nodded before they all turned in for the night. Now that worry was out of the way, Chrom went to his room to see Sibuna in a spare bed sleeping, thankful that Lissa and her Audino did wonders with his healing.

 _What the hell happened back there?_ Chrom thought. _Are we simply not ready for Mega Evolution?_

 **I'm kinda iffy on this one's quality so tell me if something needs fixing.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask me? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry this took so long. Between not knowing what to put on this chapter, family issues not worth explaining among other things it was just hard to get around to writing. Which got me thinking... do you guys think I need a beta-writer? Since my other story "The Shrunken Trainer" recently got one I've been thinking maybe this story needs one too.**

 **Also I have my first reference to Sun and Moon Pokemon here! They'll may be more in the future but not to much since the games aren't out yet. Enjoy!**

The next day the Shepherds were going to move Emmeryn to the hidden eastern palace after the assassination attempt the previous night. But before they left Chrom wanted an explanation for Sibuna going out of control.

"I'm so sorry Chrom... I was hoping this wouldn't happen when Sibuna Mega Evolved..." Ryo sighed as she and the other Shepherds, plus Emmeryn and Phila, were in the throne room for the explanation.

"What do you mean, Ryo?" Questioned Chrom.

"*Sigh* Well... there have been cases of Pokemon losing control of their mega form when it's their first time..." She answered reluctantly. "...And while they usually don't get any worse than brief disobedience for some species... Lucarios are the worst offenders."

Everyone turned to Sibuna, who kept his head down. "It's true... my kind are practically guaranteed to lose control of our mega form the first time. But how much do we lose ourselves varies with how ready we are."

Ryo nodded at what he said. "Exactly. Mega Evolution isn't something you go into willy-nilly; both trainer and Pokemon have to be physically and mentally prepared for it. It's why I waited to give Levi his Mega Stone. I just hoped that since you two work so well together and know what a big deal it is that it would be enough for Sibuna to stay stable but I guess I was wrong..."

Chrom and Sibuna turned to each other for a moment before Jackie spoke up. "The good news is that Sibuna's isn't the worst case I've seen."

"He nearly attack us! How is that not the worst?! Frederick accused earning a glare from Chrom.

"One time because the trainer didn't properly understand Mega Evolution and because the Lucario was really arrogant, that Lucario lost control and nearly killed anything that moved in close contact. So yeah, as bad as this sounds Sibuna firing Aura Spheres at everything isn't the worst case scenario."

Sibuna kept holding his head down in shame until Chrom put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"Let me stress this for the rest of you." Jackie getting the rest of the group's attention. "Mega Evolution is a big responsibility that both human and Pokemon need to understand to use to the fullest. So if you both aren't up to it there will be consequences."

"...Well which of the Pokemon here can Mega Evolve so we can be ready for it?" Robin asked.

"Angela and Harley." Jackie answered as Lissa and Stahl turned to the Audino and Heracross respectively. "Soren and Sue Belle could do it too once they reach the next stage of their evolutionary lines."

"Whoa nelly..." Donny breathed as Sumia looked nervous.

Ryo noticed that everyone was looking scared. She was about to speak up but Emmeryn stepped forward.

"Listen... I understand Sibuna's behavior last night was frightening for all of us" The Exalt said; putting emphasis on the last part as she looked at Sibuna. "But this is a power that comes from the bonds between human and Pokemon, are you going to let those bonds falter because of what _could_ happen?"

It was silent for a moment until Sumia looked down at Soren who had a worried look on his face.

"...Pidgeo?" He chirped sadly.

Sumia bent down and pet the Pidgeotto on his head. "Don't worry Soren. I'm not going to let this scare me. When the time comes, we will make sure we're ready for Mega Evolution before we use it."

This caused a small chain reaction of trainers comforting the potential Mega Evolving partners; making pacts for the future. Ryo turned to Emmeryn and silently thanked her for calming them.

"Hold on." The orange haired thief, now named Gaius, spoke up after being silent for a while. "This is nice and all but mind explaining this whole Pokemon thing to those of us who are still lost?"

 _Oh yeah... Forgot to do that last night..._ Ryo thought sheepishly, glancing at Jackie with the exact same expression.

"Let us explain..." Jackie said while having a thought of a subject she and her fellow otherworlder didn't touch upon completely last time. "... And while we're at it maybe we should explain regular evolution to you guys too."

The rest of the time was spent getting Gaius up to speed with the Pokemon world (Panne had no need considering Jharna the Azumarril already told her before) and all them being told how normal Pokemon evolution works; branched evolutions, evolutions via stone, friendship, etc.

 **Later...**

"Alright, everyone listen up! I want to say a few words before we head out." Chrom announced to the Shepherds, trainers and Pokemon while Emmeryn was being led to a separate carriage by Phila and the Hierarch of the castle. What's new is that the Shepherd Pokemon now have accessories like Sibuna's shoulder armor and Jharna belly armor. They thought since they don't have Pokeballs (which Miriel was trying to do as well the Pokedex thing)

Soren was now wearing silver anklets on his talons and light violet chest armor shaped like wings, Ignitus had a thick bronze armor collar, Angela wore a thin circlet tiara, Sue Belle wore a blue-gray bowl on her head (somewhat mimicking Donnel), Camo was given silver chest and back armor. Bruiser had fur shoulder pads and a leather sash, Spikes had arm and leg armor the same color as Sully's armor, similarly Harley had a band around his horn with Stahl's armor color, Chaka was given a simple dark purple scarf and Takeshi a dark green kerchief that was wrapped around his left arm.

Fleur de Lis was wearing a pink bow around her neck, that was actually soaked jn Persim Berry juice for several hours. Last night Fleur used Petal Dance on the bandits last night and Virion noticed the unfortunate side effect of self-induced confusion. Since it woud be inconvenient to be carrying a Persim Berries everywhere, Miriel had the idea for the ribbon soak in the juice for the rest of the night and the smell would snap the Roselia out of the confusion. When they did a test run this morning it worked splendidly.

Robin had a bit of trouble finding something for Arthur to wear due to him being a sword. But after going through the market she managed to find small charm bracelet to wrap around his hilt.

"I'm sure you are all aware of this, but I feel that it is only going to get more difficult from here on out. Now more than ever you're going to have to look out for each other, Shepherd and Pokemon alike." Chrom continued, getting determined nods from everyone (including a reluctant Ryo and Jackie).

They all walked over to the wagon that Emmeryn was in and proceeded their march.

 **...**

Riding on Jeb, Ryo nervously looked at her surroundings to try to keep her mind off of the danger they were going to get into. At least a little bit. She saw Berry trees either in bloom or ripe with fruit already; maybe the soil was good enough for the berries to grow that fast? Like back home? And of course she saw more Pokemon scampering about, like Bidoofs, Emolgas, Yanmas, Glooms and surprisingly Pikipeks, Bounsweets and even a couple of Togedemaru.

 _Whatever's bringing us here, it's happening as far as the Alola region..._

Midnight, who was perched on her shoulder again, rubbed her cheek and barked in concern.

"I'm fine Midnight. Just thinking..." She tried to assure.

"Scared?"

Ryo looked to her left to see Shani walking beside her Gogoat, with Chaka happily keeping up.

"...Yeah. Aren't you?"

"Not really." She stated. Ryo narrowed her eyes thinking Shani was acting suicidal again. "But I will live to see Chaka grow up."

The Pokemon Watcher sighed in relief. "You may not see it, but you're a pretty good mom, Shani."

Shani froze a bit when she heard that sentence and tilted her head downwards, with a bit of red tinting her cheeks. "Y-You flatter me... But I'm not that great..."

"Shinx!" Chaka spoke in protest and rubbed against her leg.

"Well Chaka thinks you are!" Ryo smirked as the brunette blushed further; whether it was from the teasing or from the Shinx's affection was unclear.

"You know... you may have that 'bad girl' attitude but you are really cute when you blush like that!" Ryo teased further before urging Jeb to go farther.

That made Shani's eyes bug out.

"I'M NOT CUTE!" She shouted getting stares from the others behind and in front of them. Now she was hoping the ground would just swallow her up.

But at the same time... why was she almost... _okay_ with Ryo teasing her. Anyone else doing that, they'd be missing a few teeth, no matter who said it but she let Ryo slide. Why? And why did she feel her heart skip a bit when she complemented her mothering?

 _You're a good mother Shani; don't let anyone tell you otherwise..._ She remembered a kind older woman's voice telling her his long ago as she touched the side of her cloak where that old cat plush was strapped in.

 _If Ryo truly knew me, she wouldn't be saying that..._ Shani thought as her eyes started to mist.

"Are you alright?"

Shani snapped out of her daze to see Panne and Jharna staring at her.

"W-What's is to ya?" The myrmidon snapped.

"I know that look, it is one that suffered a loss. A familial loss." Panne replied simply, not even flinching when Shani glared at her like wolf about to pounce. "Like I told the exalt, I don't trust man-spawn but like she has my respect and young Ryo and Jackie have my approval, looking at you now... I feel that maybe we're not so different."

Shani's glare softens _very_ slightly but still said nothing to the taguel.

"I will not force you to talk, if that's what you're thinking. I was merely saying my opinion." Panne said before walking ahead with Jharna following. When they were gone Chaka looked up at Shani who was still in her own inner world. He loved his "mama" but he could never understand why she was always so angry around other humans but so sad when no one was looking. The only time he's seen her smile was when she did her magic tricks for him.

He's also seen how "Mama" seem to stare at "Ro" (it's what Chaka calls Ryo) for long time. Does she like doing that?

 **...**

Ryo rode Jeb further ahead into the line, her and Midnight giggling like idiots the whole way. _I know someone would call me stupid for messing with Shani but I can't help it!_

"What are you two laughing about?" Maribelle asked riding beside her.

"Oh... nothing important." Ryo said, feigning ignorance.

"You really should compose yourself. It's really unbecoming of a lady." Maribelle said but was surprised to see Ryo's eye twitch for a moment and a frown formed on her face.

"You sound like my mom..." She grumbled as she motioned Jeb in another direction.

Maribelle couldn't help but blink in Ryo's shift in attitude "What on earth was that about...?"

Robin noticed this and motioned Ryo over to her and Arthur.

"Yeah Robin?"

"Look... I get Maribelle is a little hard to get along with but that was a little rude."

The Pokemon Watcher sighed. "I know... but my mom always said the same thing before I...left home."

"Something tells me leaving wasn't your choice..." Robin said, noticing how Ryo phrased that sentence.

"Well... you're right. My folks kicked me out of the house but hey, it gave me the chance to travel with my brother." Ryo laughed, both fondly and bitterly, at the memory.

"Why did your parents force you out of you're home?"

"They saw the world one way and I saw it another. Let's leave it at that." Ryo answered flatly.

Clearly seeing Ryo not wanting to talk about it further Robin dropped the subject but...

"At least you remember your family..." The tactician whispered but somehow Ryo heard it.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't-!"

"No, don't apologize... But sometimes I wonder if they're looking for me..." Robin said looking down at that mark on her right hand.

"...Hone?" Arthur asked, draping his "hand" on her shoulder.

"I'm ok Arthur... Thanks for being concerned..."

But then they noticed the people in front of them stopped walking.

"What's going on?" Jackie asked somewhere behind them. "Why are we stopping?"

 **Meanwhile...**

Turns out over the hills where some old forts laid, a merchant girl was being jumped by bandits. A merchant that was just passing by stopped the Shepherds path to ask them to help her.

Chrom accepted, not just because this was the only path to the eastern palace but Emmeryn wouldn't like it if they turned someone a blind eye for her sake. Although for some reason the Hierarch looked slightly exasperated with the detour...

While some Shepherds stayed behind to help Phila guard Emmeryn, the rest went to deal with the situation.

"You! We have business, you and I, and I aim to settle the debt. Victor will be avenged today!" Said a very familiar bandit named Vincent, who was behind several other men, to the also very familiar red headed merchant girl... or was she?

Said merchant tilted her head in confusion. "Oh, dear. Have we met?"

That just made Vincent madder. "Playing dumb won't save you, girly. The gold you net from the slavers will build Victor the finest grave in the land! Attack!"

As Vincent snuck away to get the unclaimed treasure chests, some of his men charged towards the girl.

"Careful, love. Prices aren't the only thing we can cut in half." She replied with a smirk.

Behind the girl came out a cream colored cat with (strangely) a gold coin on it's forehead and wearing a similar red and yellow jester collar around it's neck.

"A cat?" One brigand said.

"Goldie, show 'em how you make deep cuts!"

"Meow!" The cat jumped up and extended it's glowing claws to slash several bandits in the face (Fury Swipes). As they were disoriented in pain that was stronger than it should (Technician Ability) the cat's master cut the several bandits down from where they stood.

"That'a girl! You sure showed them!" The merchant said as she pet the cat on her head.

"Nya~!" Goldie purred at being petted but stopped to hiss at this blue haired man and a jackal coming their way.

"Easy, girl... I think their good guys." She whispered as their savior came towards them. "Hello there, handsome! Am I being rescued?"

"Well, that was the plan, but you seem to be holding up just fine." The blunette said at looking at her handywork. "Can you still fight?"

"We could stand to open a few more rogues, sure. Or locks, for that matter."

Sibuna raised a brow at her choice of words, being reminded of Gaius. "A thief, is it?"

"Locksmith, thank you very much! But yes. Door or chest, I'll have it smiling wide in a trice. And it looks like these bandits have quite the hoard built up." She said grinning deviously at the brigands guarding some chests.

"...Huh. Well then, I think we're in business."

 **...**

"Elwind!" Ricken exclaimed as he blasted a thief in front of him. "Ha! Don't look down on me!"

He was so preoccupied with taunting he didn't notice another one come up behind him until...

"Aria Psyshock!"

Ricken turned around in time to see a stream of dark purple energy blast his would-be attacker into the ground. He then saw Jackie and her Clefable coming towards him.

"You ok, Ricken?" Jackie asked.

"Y-Yeah. I-I'm fine..." He stuttered out for some reason. Why was stuttering? Strangely enough, it's not because of almost getting attacked; that happens on a near daily basis. It was whenever Jackie was around...

"Gengar!"

...He keeps being reminded that Specter was somewhere. Said Gengar decided to make his entrance by phasing right through the mage, making him yelp with fright and blasting another their with a Shadow Ball.

"Gengengen!" Specter laughed darkly.

"I appreciate the save Specter but can you do it _without_ scaring the living daylights out of..." Jackie said before noticing a cloud of dust where Ricken once stood.

"...Where'd he go?"

 **...**

"GRAH!" Panne (now transformed) grunted as she took a blow from several arrows defending Jharna from harm. "Are you alright, Jharna?"

"Azu." Jharna nodded.

"Good..."

Then Jharna gasped as she saw another bandit coming towards them with an axe.

"Azumarril!" The Water/Fairy type exclaimed as she jumped several feet in the air (Bounce) and fell straight down on the bandit's spine with tremendous force.

 _This "Huge Power" ability certainly does wonders in battles..._ Panne thought; slightly wincing at Bounce's almost excessive strength.

"Panne!"

The taguel turned to see Ryo riding towards them, with Kellam and his Kecleon close behind.

"Oh my goodness! Panne are you ok?" She asked as she made her Gogoat stop beside her and seeing the arrows sticking out of her body.

"I'll live..."

"Let me heal you. Kellam, can you and Camo cover us?"

"Sure!" The knight replied.

"Kec."

Ryo went over to Panne and used her staff to heal her and Jharna while Kellam and Camo attacked with a javelin and a Protean-powered Shadow Claw respectively.

"All done!" Ryo said as she finished healing the rabbits.

"Thank you..."

"Gooo!"

Ryo looked down to see Jeb getting hit with arrows. "Jeb!"

Angry that her teammate got hurt, Midnight hopped off Ryo's shoulder and blasted one of the thief with a Dark Pulse and Jeb suddenly took off and rammed another thief down with glowing green horns (Horn Leech) before his body sparkled green to heal himself.

"Jeb, are you ok?!" Ryo exclaimed with worry.

"Gooo..." Jeb assured softly.

That's when it hit Ryo. Of how not only she was in danger but her Pokemon as well. Sure the all the Pokemon, not just her own, may have accepted the conditions but at least she can fight back. ...What can she do? Stand back and wait for someone who needs healing?

"Ryo!"

The Pokemon Watcher turned to see Sully riding towards her, with Midnight right beside her.

"I'm fine guys!" Ryo assured before yelping when an axe wielder came at her direction.

"Oh no you don't! Spikes get in there!" Sully ordered.

"Quilladin!" The Grass type then formed green energy orbs with spikes around his arms (Needle Arm) and disarmed the bandit while his trainer stabbed him with her lance.

Secretly, two more archers was trying to shoot them from above a fort wall. But they in turn got shot down by a Pin Missle that fell from the sky.

Harley who fired said Pin Missle flew back down to Stahl and saluted "Heracross!"

"Nice work, Harley." Stahl whispered.

 **Meanwhile...**

The battle was going on for a while do to the sheer amount of bandits around but the Shepherds were making. And those of the group that had Pokemon were more in sync than before.

"Takeshi. Let's make this quick." Lon'qu said.

"Niard!" The Pawniard agreed as he made his hand blades glow dark purple (Night Slash) amd the two worked as a unit to cut down brigands quickly and efficiently.

"Enter the Vaike!" Vaike exclaimed as he made a killing blow to another thief. "Alright Bruiser! Give 'em a Thunder Punch!"

"Machoke!" Bruiser complied by electrifying his fist and punched a bandit in the gut.

"Haha! Way to go!" Vaike cheered as he gave the Fighting-type a high five.

As that was happening Gaius was picking the lock on one of the chests after Anna picked the locked on the door and she and Robin guard the door.

"Not as good as candy... but I'll take it." Gaius said as he pocketed some gold bars.

"Looks pretty sweet to me!" Anna said practically drooling over the gold.

"Nya Nya~!" Goldie squealed with stars in her eyes.

"Look! It seems like Chrom and Sibuna made it to the lead bandit!" Robin said as she and Arthur looked around the corner.

 **...**

"You stand no chance. I'm a conqueror by name and a conqueror by nature!" Vincent boasted to the pair.

"Care to prove it? Sibuna!" Chrom exclaimed.

"Right!" Sibuna exclaimed as he brought forth his Bone Rush.

The three fighters traded blows with equal strength. Chrom and Sibuna try to work better as one mind than two different ones. Like the other Shepherd's their trying not to just rely the typical Pokemon/Trainer relationship that they had for a while, but true brothers in arms. If they don't want to repeat the Mega Evolution incident from before, becoming a better team is more important than ever.

While they still had ways to go, they were strong enough to give Vincent a run for his money.

But while he was on his last legs, Vincent was still seeing red. "HRAHH! YOU WILL NOT DEFEAT ME! VICTOR WILL HAVE VENGEANCE!"

"Well join him in the Death Wing's embrace! Force Palm!" Sibuna exclaimed as he placed his on the brigands chest to release a concentrated blast on his chest and by a stroke of luck it managed to cause paralysis.

"Chrom!"

"Your end has come!" The prince exclaimed as he brought his sword down on Vincent.

"I... I see your face, Victor... No... No, wait... That's me..." Vincent choked before finally drawing his last breath.

 **...**

"Thanks for your help. The name's Anna. Some folks like to call me the Secret Seller. And this little cutie pie is my buisness partner, Goldie." Anna introduced herself as she gave a bow, with Goldie doing the same.

Chrom nodded in recognition of the name. "Yes, I remember you."

Anna paused for a moment and looked at the prince carefully. "Oh? ...Mmm, I'm afraid I'm drawing a blank."

"Huh? Oh, then I must be... I'm sorry. I thought you..." Chrom apologized but stopped mid-sentence "Wait, what am I saying? I KNOW we helped you. I'm sure of it!"

Anna's eyes sparked with realization. "Oh! Hee hee! You must have met one of my sisters."

"Sisters? Gods, you look identical."

"Wait is this what I think it is..." Jackie whispered to Ryo, who was thinking the same thought.

"Yes, there's a strong family resemblance. Oh, and we're all traveling merchants."

Chrom simply blinked "...With the same name?"

"Yes, actually. That's part of the secret!" Anna said; almost proud of the fact.

"Oh... Good Alpha above..." Ryo, Jackie and even Sibuna groaned.

"What?" Chrom turned to them in confusion.

"Let's just say they are some people back in our world who are the same way..." Sibuna said cryptically.

"Oooh~ Tell me more." Anna said with interest.

 **Later...**

 _ **Meowth, the Scratch Cat Pokemon. A Normal-type. Adores round objects. It wanders the streets on a nightly basis to look for dropped loose change. This Pokemon is native to the Kanto region.**_

Jackie got Goldie's Pokedex entry once everyone settled further away of the battlefield to rest.

"Yep, sounds about right!" Anna (now joining the Shepherds as thanks for helping her and her sister previously) said; seemingly not phased by the Pokedex as others were. "Goldie here simply showed up in one day when I was running a temporary stand sometime ago. She's small but a big help with shoplifters!"

"Meow!" Goldie mewed as she munched on a fish Anna gave her.

As everyone chatted with each other Jackie noticed whenever she glanced at Ricken, he would try to avoid eye contact. Just like what has been happening since she joined the group. Having enough of it she slipped away, dragging a confused Ricken away so they could talk.

"Ok dude. Spill it, why the heck are you avoiding me?" Jackie questioned, getting straight to the point.

"L-Look I have nothing against you Jackie, honestly! It's just..." Ricken stuttered before shaking his head. "Forget it. It's stupid..."

"Ricken... does it have something to do with Specter?" He flinched at what she said, which is all Jackie needed. "I knew it. Is this a whole 'fear of ghosts' thing?"

"Maybe..."

"But Robin's Honedge is a Ghost-type! So is Ryo's Froslass! And you're not scared of them!"

"I often forget Arthur's a ghost... And Yuki does freak me out but at the level Specter does! He actually revels in scaring people!" Ricken stopped mid-rant and sighed. "It's childish isn't it? To be in a middle of a war and I'm scared of a pet ghost..."

Jackie was silent for a moment. There's no doubt that they'll be encountering more Ghost Pokemon in the future and this could be a problem if he ever gets paired with a trainer with a Ghost type or they encounter wild ones.

"Well Ricken, you could've just asked me... if this bothers you so much, I'll help you get over your fears!"

He looked up in surprise at what he heard. "Really?"

Jackie nodded and gave a smile. "Yeah. Heck maybe it'll be easier than helping Lon'qu get over his fear of girls!"

 **Back at the camp...**

"Achoo!" Lon'qu suddenly sneezed.

"Bless you!" Lissa said.

The myrmidon only grumbled a response.

 **I'm not sure Mega Evolution works this way but I thought I'd do something to give it more importance so they'll may be more Pokemon besides Sibuna with this problem but with varying degrees on how bad they'll lose control.**

 **Like I mentioned I mentioned earlier in the chapter, do you think I need a beta-writer? If you think so and wanna be my beta-writer tell me in the comments and if I agree I'll send you a PM and tell you whether or not we'll be working together and what will my terms be. OK?**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask me? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Well, this is my first proofread chapter! Courtesy of kitsunelover300! Hope you enjoy!**

"Ugh, my poor feet. I've got blisters the size of eggs!" Lissa complained as the Shepherds resumed their march after their ealier rest.

"Oh, it's not so bad, Lissa. Just a healthy little stroll!" Chrom said happily, ignoring his sister's stink eye. "How are you holding up, Robin?"

"My legs feel like pudding... Your endurance astounds me, Chrom." Robin admitted.

"Hah! Should I carry you?" Chrom laughed; ignoring Sumia's jealous expression.

"You can carry me!" Lissa exclaimed cheerfully causing the others to look at her funny. "...No, seriously. I would really be okay with you carrying me."

She then looked to see Ryo (now on foot to give Jeb a break) Jackie walking behind her, like her brother she didn't even look tired.

"How the heck are you two still going?"

"I've been traveling long distances on foot like this since I was ten, so this is pretty much second nature to me." Jackie answered.

"I started when I was twelve." Ryo added

Frederick's eyes widened at what she said. "Ten and twelve? That's far to young to be traveling!"

"Actually when I first started it was common for people to start training Pokemon at age ten. At least before they raised the age requirement to fifteen..." Ryo explained.

"Audino! Au Audino No!" Angela said to Lissa as she made hand gestures similar to a teacher lecturing a student.

Lissa blinked and turned to Sibuna. "Translation, please?"

Sibuna chuckled at her deadpan reaction. "She was just lecturing on how walking is good for you."

As everyone laughed a bit at the answer, the hierarch was lost in thought as he kept looking up. Frederick noticed this and went over to him.

"Is something troubling you, Hierarch? You keep glancing up at the peaks."

"Hmm? Oh, I'm just a b-bit nervous I'm afraid. Gh-ghastly times, these!" The old man stuttered.

Frederick nodded at the answer, but Ignitus felt something was... off. He couldn't exactly say why but decided to keep an eye on him. He turned to Arthur floating above him and barked something quietly at the Honedge, who nodded in agreement. He was thankful none of the humans understood them, especially if the Growlithe's suspicion was correct.

"Chrom, who is that?" Robin asked gesturing to the Hierach.

"The hierarch? He's been a friend of House Ylisse for many years. He guided Emmeryn during the early years of her rule. Why do you ask?"

Robin's eyes closed as she contemplated in thought. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but something feels..."

Before she could finish her thought, she was interrupted by Ignitus growling loudly; pointing his nose glowing via Oder Sleuth at a distant tree.

"What is it, Ignitus?" Frederick questioned.

All he got was Ignitus barking, oddly it was towards Arthur. The Honedge then zoomed towards the tree, unsheathed himself and slashed an archer hidden behind the tree.

Chrom's eyes widened at what type of armor the archer was wearing. "A Plegian soldier? Damn! How did they know we were here?"

"Chrom!" Sibuna exclaimed as he had his aura sensors up. "There's more coming this way! And fast!"

"Everyone! Prepare for battle!"

High above them a wyvern rider, named Vasto sniffed the air and gained a malicious smirk on his face.

"*Sniiiiiiff* Ahhhhhhhhh... Smell that, men? The winds of fortune are blowing our way!"

The hierarch thennruns to the middle of the path, in front of the Plegian soldiers. The Ylissean royals thought the hierach was attempting to defend them until...

"Hold, sir! I am the man King Gangrel told you about! Did you not receive orders to take me into your protection?"

Emmeryn's eyes widened from the convoy wagon. "H-Hierach?"

"I can't believe he selling us out!" Ryo exclaimed as Midnight growled angrily.

"Believe it." Shani snarled as she glared at the old man. "People in higher power always have their own agenda."

"I've orders to protect a man, true..." Vasto said before smirking again. "But I see no man here! ...Only a pig! A rasher of traitorous bacon that sold out his own sovereign! And what do we do with little piggies, mmm?"

"Well, you... I mean, perhaps... You let them go free?" The hierach answered hopefully.

"Oh, are you a chicken now? Bawk bawk! We've a whole barnyard in our midst! Well, it don't matter what you are. The axe will fall just the same!"

After those words, one of the axe wielders went towards the hierach raising his axe in the air.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeek!" The hierach screamed in terror as the brigand chopped off his head.

As the head rolled away, many of the bystanders faces paled, Ryo looked extremely green and Jackie actually vomited the morning's breakfast.

"Right! Now for the main event. By moon's end, they'll be erecting statues of me in the capital!" Vasto exclaimed before looking down at the Shepherds. "Ho there! Ylisseans! Give me the Fire Emblem and your wench of a ruler, and spare yourselves a gory end!"

"Phila, take Emmeryn to the rear of the column. We'll fend off these blackguards!" Chrom commanded Phila as she took his elder sister to the far back.

Soon, the Shepherds came face to face with what seemed like a whole army of axe wielders, mages and wyvern riders. Robin's eyes flitted through the opposition, coming up with a concise strategy that would ensure victory for their team.

"Ricken and Virion, take out as many wyvern riders as you can! Frederick, you, Sully and Sully fend off the axe wielders while the rest of us plow through their forces. Lissa and Maribelle, take care of anyone who is wounded." Robin's tone left no room for argument and everyone understood their role and begun their offense.

Jackie released her Charizard, Talvian, the fire dragon letting loose a few embers with his huffs before allowing his trainer to mount him. He spread his wings and took flight, engaging in combat with the aerial fighters while Ricken and Virion covered her.

Ryo was with Shani, the myrmidon cutting down mages and wielders alike with her beloved Shinx by her side, supporting her with Tackles and Sparks. Ryo had Midnight in front of her, the tiny fox supporting with Shadow balls and Dark Pulses taking down the more durable fighters.

"Bone Rush!" Sibuna engaged into combat with an axe wielder, his back facing Chrom's as the two took down fighters at the forefront of the battle front. Chrom stabbed the Falcion into an axe wielder, effectively ending his life but didn't notice as another burly figure swiftly approached him and raise his axe to end the life of Ylisse's prince.

"Soren, use Aerial ace!" Sumia commanded, her partner evading the axe wielder with the Pegasus knight just behind him. She drove her spear through his neck, sending him to the next life.

Chrom huffed then gave Sumia an honest smile. "Thank you for that, Sumia."

The light brunette flushed, her heart skipping a beat or two. "No problem, my Prince." Her expression then grew serious. "Now come. We don't have time for idle chit-chat."

Chrom nodded and as he and Sumia threw themselves back into the fray, their partners at their sides, he couldn't help but wonder just when Sumia became so confident.

 **...**

High in the skies, over the canyon drop, a red haired Pegasus Knight was flying towards the battlefield.

"*Huff, huff...* No! Plegians here as well?!" The Pegasus Knight exclaimed in disbelief "Prince Chrom! Captain Phila! Beware! Enemy reinforcements to the rear! They'll be upon us soon!"

Phila looked up to where she heard the warning and her eyes widened at who she saw. "Is that... Gods, Cordelia?!"

"Cordelia?" Ryo asked, squinting her eyes as she recognized the rider as the same girl she bumped into yesterday.

Phila nodded at the Pokemon Watcher. "She's one of my knights. Young yet, but quite gifted. But she was stationed on the border... Why...?" She stopped herself as her face paled. "Oh, gods! Could it mean...?"

Ryo couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the red haired girl if Phila was implying what she thought she was implying, trying and failing to swallow a rather persistent lump in her throat.

"Hey!" Shani called out to the Pokémon Watcher, aggravation present in her voice. "There's no time for this! Pay attention."

Slowly, Ryo withdrew from her thoughts and nodded at the myrmidon. There would be time for everything else later, after they ensured Emmeryn's safety.

Suddenly, a high pitched cry reached her ears, and Ryo's heart dropped to her stomach when she turned to see Midnight on the ground, unconscious and bleeding with a rather vicious looking wyvern rider hovering over her. He had a sadistic smirk on his face, and to Ryo, he looked like the embodiment of what a monster looked like.

"Say goodbye, pet!"

There was no time. Jackie was riding her Charizard as fast as she could towards the wyvern rider but there was no time. If Ryo lost Midnight in this, she didn't know what she would do. The little fox was her best friend, her sister for Arceus sake! She'd rather face the gaping maw of Hell than lose her! A flash of green caught her eye, and Ryo saw a tome with splatters of blood from a recently slayed Mage laying just a few feet from her. Without thinking, she ran over and picked the heavy green book up, opened it and faced the monster with a maddening gaze.

She willed the magic to work with her and, with all her might, forced a powerful gale of wind at the mounted demon, knocking him down and tearing him apart.

Everything slowed after that, nothing reached Ryo anymore. She didn't register that she had dropped the tome and somehow made her way over to Midnight, picking the dark type up and cradling her. It was only when blood stained her hands and her clothes that Ryo realized what she had done.

Oh Arceus above!

She killed!

She KILLED!

She had seen so much death since coming to this world, some of them caused by her own pokemon, but somehow managed to avert being a direct cause for the death of another being.

Now though, that was over. She had blood on her hands. She was a killer.

Ryo couldn't help but look at the fallen wyvern rider and made the mistake of meeting his glazed over eyes. In her mind, he was blaming her. He had a family to return to, and would never return to them. Because of her.

She couldn't help it anymore. Clutching the unconscious Midnight tightly to her chest, Ryo let out heart-wretching sobs.

Both Shani and Jackie turned their attention to Ryo's hunched over form, a sad feeling in their chests. They met each others' gazes and nodded before moving to defend the Pokémon Watcher.

Vasto growled at the Shepherds. When the pig of a hierach said that the Ylisseans were getting aid by magical animals, he laughed it off but now that he's seeing it with his own eyes. Wait... maybe if he somehow captured some of these animals, it would increase Plegia's odds even more than they already are!

Now with a vicious grin on his face he ordered his wyvern towards the closest Shpeherd, which was the tactitian and her floating sword creature.

"I'll splatter you across the canyon floor! And your creatures are coming with me!"

Vasto brought his axe down but Arthur blocked it by getting in front of him and using Iron Defense.

"Nice work Arthur! Elthunder!" Robin thanked as she let loose a blast of electricity at the Plegian. But he managed to barrel roll out of the way, in time to see the Honedge fly towards him with his unsheathed blade glowing (Slash) right towards him.

Seeing danger coming, the wyvern released a weak fire breath at Arthur and due to to his Steel typing that attack felt even worse than it actually was. As he screeched in pain, Vasto took advantage of that moment of weaknesses and knocked Arthur out of the sky.

"Hooooone!" Arthur screamed as fell down the canyon until Robin luckily grabbed him by the cloth.

"I got you Arthur!" Robin exclaimed as she caught him just in time but was starting to tip over the edge.

"And I got you Bubbles!" Said Gaius as he caught her by the waist and pulled the two of them out.

"*Huff, huff* Thank you Gaius..." Robin said.

"Honedge." Arthur thanked.

"Thank me after we get these suckers out of here!" Gaius smirked as he pulled out his sword.

"Right. Arthur think you can... huh?"

She was interrupted when she saw Arthur glowed in that familiar light and force field.

"Whoa, what's going on here?!" The thief exclaimed, freaked out.

Robin just had a big smile on her face. "Arthur's evolving, that's what!"

They watched as Arthur's form began to grow but when Robin saw the wyvern rider come right towards them, she saw that she had to defend her vulnerable partner.

She brought out a another green tome out and aimed the magic at him. "Elwind!"

The wind magic managed strongly to blow Vasto back, buying just enough time to notice the light die down.

And suddenly a creature zoomed by her cloaked in a white aura (Iron Head) and rammed the wyvern rider with great force making the two of them plummet to their deaths.

The aura died to see a Pokemon resembles two swords sheathed on a plaque. Each sword has a pink eye with a black, linear pupil on the hilt, as well as a pink, tassel-like arm emerging from the handle. It was no doubt who this savior was.

"Arthur?" Robin asked tentatively.

"Doublade." The newly evolved Arthur nodded.

"You doves think...killing me will change anything?"

They stopped to turn at Vasto still barely alive under his dead mount.

"Heh... Even now, my brothers storm across your precious border... Go on, dear exalted coward! Run! Flee while they slaughter your subjects! Save yourself... Let their faith in you...bleed away...with the rest..."

Those were his final words before drawing his last breath.

 **Later...**

"Your Grace! My prince! Run! As far and fast as you can! More Plegians are coming, not a half day's march behind you!" Cordelia warned in a panic.

"Cordelia, what are you doing here? ...Tell me the border remains secure!" Phila questioned her.

"That I could, milady! But it would be false... Gangrel himself led his might against us! The end was upon us when my knight-sisters begged me fly and warn the exalt... I should have stayed... I should have stayed! Ah, gods, I can still hear the screams..."

She couldn't take it when the situation sunk in and broke down in tears. From the convoy a still shaken Ryo peeked out to watch.

Phila put a hand on the red head's shoulder. "Peace, Cordelia. You did your duty. The sisters rightly prized your youth. You've many years yet to keep their legacy alive."

"But I abandoned them! I'm weak... Their legacy deserves better."

"Sometimes fleeing takes the most courage. They knew that. Now pull yourself together. Let the faith they showed in you give you strength."

Cordelia calmed down slightly but was still choking back on tears. "Captain Phila, I... How can I go on like this? They were my...my family... *sob* Gods... Oh, gods..."

Sibuna went over to Cordelia and placed a paw on her forehead to give her a calming aura. She flinched a bit but show no resistance.

"Damn those monsters!" Chrom cursed under his breath.

Emmeryn suddenly stepped towards the middle of the circle. "I must return to the capital."

Everyone turned to her in shock at what she said.

"Your Grace, I cannot advise—" Phila started to disagree but Emmeryn interrupted.

"I should never have left. If it's discovered I'm away when this news comes to light... The people could panic. Riot. More Ylisseans could needlessly die." She then turned to her brother to give him a certain shield. "Here, Chrom. I entrust this to you."

Chrom's mouth hung open in shock. "The Fire Emblem?"

"Take it to Ferox—to safety."

"And leave you? No, Emm."

Emmeryn shook her head at her brother. "No part of House Ylisse matters more than the Emblem. It possesses tremendous power. But too much blood has been shed over it already. I hope it finds a better guardian in you than it did me."

"Emm, come on. You can't... Don't talk like that! You sound like you're ready to give up..." Chrom said in exasperation.

"I am not giving up, Chrom. I am only giving what I can."

"Emm, please! This is madness!" Exclaimed Chrom in worry.

"Sis, wait! Let me go with you!" Lissa begged.

But the eldest sibling stood her ground. "Stay with Chrom, Lissa. I command it."

Lissa then started to cry at her sister's words. "This isn't fair! It's not fair! I know our people need you, but we need you, too!"

"Dry your tears, love. This is not good-bye." Emmeryn smiled sadly as she wiped the cleric's tears.

"Your Grace, the pegasus knights will accompany you to Ylisstol." Phila said, though on the inside still disagreed to her plan.

Emmeryn nodded. "Very well, Phila. Thank you."

"I will keep the prince and princess safe, Your Grace. You have my word." Frederick spoke up.

"I know you will, Frederick. Thank you."

"It is my honor." The knight said with a heavy heart.

"You have our word as Pokemon as well, Emmeryn. As their partners anyone who harms them will go through us." Sibuna assured.

"Audino." Angela nodded.

"Thank you both." Emmeryn nodded in gratitude.

Phila turned to her surviving border Pegasus Knight. "Cordelia. You will stay here with Chrom."

Cordelia looked at her in surprise. "But, Captain—"

"I know your heart is heavy, but this is how it must be. Your knight-sisters will be with you in spirit, wherever you go."

Cordelia was silent for a moment but nodded her head. "...May they give me strength. As you command, Captain. I will pray for your safety."

"Come, Phila. We must go." Emmeryn said to the Pegasus Knight Captain.

"No! You don't have to go! This is absurd!" Chrom begged one last time.

"Chrom, you don't—" The exalt started before the bluenette interrupted.

"Walking to your own death will not bring peace to anyone! Ylisse needs you. WE need you! Be selfish for once in your life!"

Ryo remained silent at the scene. What could she say anyway? Jackie was holding her hand to ease her shaking and Shani, while keeping a neutral expression, couldn't help but admire both Emmeryn's bravery and the younger siblings speaking their mind.

Emmeryn just gave another sad smile to her brother. "... I love you, Chrom. Both you and Lissa are my everything. As for the peace I seek... You cannot see who it is for. I have to go. I'm sorry—I truly am. Let us embrace again in Ylisstol when you arrive with Feroxi reinforcements. I know you will come."

"...This is a terrible plan." Chrom muttered.

"The blood of the first exalt flows strong in us. You and I will keep Ylisse safe. I believe it with all my heart. Safe journey, Chrom. Safe journey, Lissa." Emmeryn said softly as she, Phila and the accompanying Pegasus Knights left.

"Emm... Emm?! Ah..." Chrom called out to no avail.

As they were further away, Emmeryn gained one last glance at Ryo, thinking sadly on ho how she was forced to use a wind tome to protect her unconscious Zorua. The poor girl was still pale from fright as Jackie and Shani were trying their hardest to calm her down.

 _I'm truly sorry, Ryo. Jackie. Stay safe and Shani, you may believe yourself not worthy to live, nor have any faith in this world, but I believe you will find happiness and peace in the end_. She thought before resuming her way.

 **To be honest, I struggle with writing fight scenes because I don't think they're fluid enough. Hopefully kitsunelover300 did better than I did recently with those.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Ugh... I didn't mean to take so long with this chapter... How come no one told me writers block was this awful?! This chapter would be pretty barren too if it weren't for kitsunelover helping! I gotta step up my game...**

 **On an unrelated note, Sun and Moon keeps looking better and better with jaw dropping news! I'm excited for the next Coro Coro issue!**

 **Also I have something to announce on the bottom note that I hope someone can help with! Now on with the story!**

 _ **Doublade, the Sword Pokemon and the evolved form of Honedge. A Steel/Ghost type. When Honedge evolves, it divides into two swords, which cooperate via telepathy to coordinate attacks and slash their enemies to ribbons. This Pokemon is native to the Kalos region.**_

Jackie looked up the Pokedex entry for Robin's newly evolved Doublade once the Shepherds resumed their march to Regna Ferox after Emmeryn turned back for Ylisstol.

"There you go Robin, and it looks like Arthur replaced Fury Cutter with Iron Head, a Steel-type move," Jackie explained to the tactician.

"Thanks..." Robin managed to say but her mind was elsewhere.

They set up camp once it got dark and the atmosphere was... heavy, to put it mildly. Chrom and Lissa refused to go to sleep; the two of them worried sick about Emmeryn. Ryo had it worse though as she didn't talk to anyone the whole way and isolated herself in her tent once the group stopped.

Lissa helped heal most of Midnight's injuries and bandaged the rest but advised to Ryo that the Zorua shouldn't battle for a while to not strain herself further. Other than that small conversation, the Pokemon Watcher was silent; no longer her slightly peppy/joking self.

"You worried too?" Jackie spoke up, breaking Robin's thoughts.

"Yes..." Robin admitted it. "I've never seen them like this. They're not themselves anymore..."

"Doublade..." Arthur nodded solemnly. He's seen that look far too many times when he was still alive but never expected to see it on a modern day trainer...

"AHHHH!"

"That was Ryo!" Jackie exclaimed in realization.

"Let's go!" Robin grabbed Jackie's arm and ran to Ryo's tent. They went in (along with a few others) to see Midnight huddled next a shaking Ryo in a sleeping bag with her Alpha's Ring necklace clutched in her hand.

The Zorua turned to the people at the door and began whimpering for someone to help her trainer.

"Oh, Ryo... Are you ok?" Sumia asked softly.

"N-No..." She whispered.

"Do you want some company?" Panne spoke up.

Ryo responded by nodding her head and Panne, Jharna, Jackie and Sumia stayed by her side until she felt like falling asleep again. She subconsciously wanted Shani to be there too, but she notice her backing away from the tent, crushing her hopes a little bit.

Jackie also had a lot on her mind. If Ryo managed to take a life here, their was a good chance that it would happen to her too.

 _'I don't like it... but I may have to do something to defend myself too. I can' t rely on my Pokemon forever...'_

 **A few days later...**

The Shepherds made it to Ferox, seeing that the kingdom had much more Pokemon than the last time they were there. After the Pokemon Watcher gave the information in Ylisstol, Emmeryn thought it would be a good idea for their new allies to have the same information they have and just by looking around, the Feroxi people seemed to have taken a shine with them.

Shani was watching Chaka play around with some wild Bergmite when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. She turned around to see Ryo with her long violet hair that, while still tied in it's usual side ponytail, was barely brushed, and she had bags under her eyes. Midnight (now bandage free) was set down and limped towards the Shinx.

"You look like hell," Shani stated bluntly.

"Thanks Captain Obvious," Ryo grumbled but immediately regretted it. "S-Sorry, I'm just not feeling a hundred percent right now."

"What, your prayers didn't help you?" Shani said with a hint of distaste.

Ryo really didn't like what she was implying. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shani responded by pointing at the Alpha's Ring now around her neck.

"This? I've just felt more comfortable wearing it around my neck now..." Ryo tried to explain but was interrupted by Shani.

"Ryo, when are you going to get it? Gods aren't real! And even if they were, they don't care about us!" Shani exclaimed in a tone that (strangely) wasn't angry but it sounded like she was begging. "Also, why are you praying for the enemy?"

"Because I KILLED someone Shani!" Ryo shouted back angrily.

"Who was about to kill your friend! They don't deserve your sympathy!" Shani retorted back. Midnight and Chaka were getting nervous with their respective trainers arguing.

"What, are you telling me I shouldn't feel remorse for taking a life?!"

"Exactly! Especially if it's your loved one's life in the middle!"

Ryo's jaw dropped at what the myrmidon was saying but then narrowing her eyes at her.

"I don't know what happened to you Shani, but I hope I don't end up as heartless as you!" She shouted before leaving in a huff. "Let's go Midnight!"

Midnight yipped at Chaka apologetically before joining Ryo. Then the young Shinx went to his surrogate mother's feet, but when he felt a splash of water fall on his head, he looked up to see Shani shedding tears.

"Shinx, Shinx?" He whimpered as Shani picked him up.

"W-Why can't she understand? W-Why can't anyone understand? We can't keep relying on fairytales to survive! There is no divine power to help us! Only our own strength!" Shani stuttered to herself in a way that was unlike her. She sounded so broken as she felt she lost points with the only Shepherd she cares about.

"Why doesn't anyone believe me?" She whispered so quietly. If Chaka knew better, he would realize she wasn't just referring to this moment...

 **Later...**

"Arghh! I can't believe Shani!" Ryo muttered out and letting lose a string of swear words as she stomped towards the throne room; later being joined by the Shepherds and their Pokemon being led in the same direction by Flavia.

She then noticed a mark on Chrom's face. "What happened to you?"

"Don't ask." Chrom said in embarrassment as Sumia blushed and Flavia laughed for some odd reason.

As they got to the throne room they saw Basilio there with a Piloswine with buckles around his tusks.

 _...Khan Basilio got a Piloswine?_ Ryo thought as she got out her Pokedex.

 _ **Piloswine, the Swine Pokemon. An Ice/Ground Type. Piloswine is covered by a thick coat of long hair that enables it to endure the freezing cold. This Pokémon uses its tusks to dig up food that has been buried under ice. This Pokemon is native to the Johto region.**_

"Chrom! Good gods, I've been looking for you everywhere!" Basilio exclaimed out of breath

"Is something wrong?" The prince questioned.

Basilio expression turned grim. "Our scouts have reported back. Dark news, I'm afraid... Ylisstol...has fallen."

"What?!" Chrom exclaimed as everyone looked shocked.

"The Plegians captured your exalt and retreated back across their lines. Gangrel has declared she's to be publicly executed within the moon."

"E-executed?!" Exclaimed Sibuna.

"Ooooh..." Lissa moaned as began to faint. Luckily, Robin and Angela caught her.

"Lissa? Lissa!"

"Audino!"

'Emmeryn...' Ryo thought as she turned pale.

"The dastard's not even trying to be subtle anymore." Flavia growled as she clenched her fists.

Robin nodded in agreement. "I agree. It's an obvious trap."

"The Mad King knew our scouts would relay this information back. It's clearly a provocation—a hot brand to the buttocks! We should consider our options carefully before jumping to any—" Basilio started but was interrupted by Chrom.

"Shepherds! We march to Plegia!"

"*Ahem* Well, that would be ONE option, yes... But perhaps we've seen enough royalty waltzing into traps for one war already, eh?"

"I don't care if it's a trap, Basilio. He's going to murder my sister!" Chrom retorted in distress.

Flavia put her hand up in response. "Peace, Chrom. Breathe a moment. No one's suggesting we don't act. We're simply saying we should act WISELY. We'll need guts AND wits in equal measure if we're to save your sister."

"The khans are right. I'll think of something, Chrom. I promise." Robin assured as Arthur gave a salute with one of his tassels.

Chrom was silent for a moment before nodding "...All right, Robin. I leave it to you to formulate our strategy."

"Are you certain you're up to the task, Robin? It won't be easy. You hold the exalt's life in one hand, and all of ours in the other." Flavia said sternly.

"A responsibility I do not take lightly. But I am equal to the challenge!" The determination within the young woman's red eyes was unmistakable.

The East-Khan then gave a hearty laugh. "Ha ha! You've got stones, at least. I like that!"

"No hesitation, no mincing words... She's either a genius or a fool! I suppose we'll find out once we march. Ain't that right, Sergio?" Basilio patted his new partner on the back as the ice and ground type snorted cold air from his nose.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" The West-Khan laughed hard before bellowing "Hold on to your tassets, Ylisseans. We've an exalt to save!"

The Shepherds all gave their voices of approval, each of them determined to see that Emmeryn was returned safely to Ylisse. Well, everyone but Ryo that is.

As the Shepherds conversed amongst themselves, the Pokémon Watcher took this chance to sneak away from the group, walking until their chatter was barely audible. She thought she had snuck away unnoticed, but a pair of deep blue eyes caught the foreigner sneaking away.

Ryo was beside herself. On one hand, saving Emmeryn was everything. Ryo couldn't say how much she owed the Exalt for a lot of things, so it was only natural to want to save such a kind person from a grisly fate awaiting her tomorrow. But the other hand showed what Ryo could possibly be faced with if she should (and would) take part in this rescue mission. Ryo would have to face more Plegian soldiers, men who probably had friends and family waiting for them back at home. Men whose lives she may have to take in order to save Emmeryn.

She didn't want this. She didn't want more blood on her hands. She didn't want to be a killer.

A choked sob broke through Ryo's lips as she was faced with a seemingly impossible dilemma.

' _What should I do?'_

"Ryo. Are you alright?"

Startled, the Pokémon Watcher whirled around and met the worried gaze of Chrom, whom was standing a few feet behind her. Sighing in relief, Ryo turned her gaze to the ground.

"I...I don't know. I just, I'm not sure how much help I can be now. I want to save Emmeryn, I really do. But when I think of entering the battlefield again, I know I'm going to have to take another life." By this time, Ryo was in tears, her body shaking. "I don't regret protecting Midnight. If she had died when I did nothing, I don't think I could have forgiven myself. But when I killed that soldier, I began to wonder if he had a family. Would they hate me for taking him from them?"

"Ryo..."

"And the worst part of it is, I feel like such a hypocrite. I constantly force my pokemon to battle and kill these people without a second thought, but the second I return the favor, I can't even handle that! What the hell does that make me!"

"Human."

Ryo turned back to Chrom with an inquisitive look on her face. Chrom, in turn, faced her with a hardened but still sympathetic gaze. He sighed, then looked up at the sky above as if pondering or remembering something. "I know how you feel, Ryo. I think it was about...ten years ago if I remember correctly. I was not even a preteen yet, but even as a nine year old child, I was already on my way into training as the upcoming Exalt in case something should happen to my sister. Though five years had passed since my father's crusade against Plegia, there was still no shortage of people who would want to bring harm to her."

Chrom paused, a grimace overtaking his face as he seemed to remember something unpleasant before continuing.

"On the eve of Emmeryn's 15th birthday, a lone assailant from Plegia managed to sneak passed the guards and set his sights on my sister. Frederick wouldn't make it in time and I was the closest one to my sister at the time. I didn't even have to think about engaging this person in combat, wanting to protect my sister at all cost. Needless to say, I won that fight, but that would be the day I would take my first kill."

Ryo gasped, horrified to think that a boy not even a teenager yet was forced to make the same decision that she did.

"Once everything calmed down, it all just came at me. I was a killer. I took this person's life without even thinking about the repercussions, that maybe he had a family waiting for him back home. For a long time, I refused to even pick up my sword, too afraid to have to take the lives of others again and cause even more pain and suffering."

A fond smile spread across Chrom's lips next. "It was Frederick who would snap me out of it. He forced me out of my bed one morning and practically dragged me to the training grounds. We argued, fought hard that morning. He called me out on my behavior and I, well, pretty much acted like a petulant child. I remember breaking down into tears, confessing how afraid I was that I was going to turn into a heartless killer, just like my father, that I was only going to cause more people to suffer. I'll never forget the words he said to me."

Chrom paused, then locked gazes with a surprised Ryo.

"He said, "The fact that you can show remorse for the death of another makes you different from your father. It means that your humanity is still intact. As long as this war goes one, you will be forced to take up your blade and use it to end the lives of others. When that happens, do not waver. Becoming the shield for those in your protection and fight with everything you have. Become the sword and fight for not only your life, but to those who will come to put their trust in you."

"I will never forget those words and it is those words that give me the resolve to move forward passed all the violence and bloodshed caused by this war. You did what you had to to protect Midnight. You don't have to enjoy it, but when you do, don't waver. Remember everyone you are fighting for and this will give you the strength to go on."

When Chrom finished, Ryo was awe struck, and couldn't seem to think of anything to say.

"He's right."

Both Chrom and Ryo turned to find Jackie walking towards them, the glasses wearing brunette looking intently at Ryo. It was then that the Pokémon Watcher noticed the object clutched into Jackie's hands. A simple bow, one that she has seen Virion wield numerous times before upgrading his.

Jackie smiled and held the weapon up. "I asked Virion to train me in order to use this. Funny thing is, before I began my journey, I actually gained an interest in the sport, but my parents weren't able to afford lessons at the time. I won't lie and say that fighting and killing doesn't scare me. But still, if I can fight side by side with my friends, my Pokémon, and protect them for once, then I'll do what I have to do."

Ryo looked impressed, not expecting this sense of determination from the normally meek and eccentric girl. But Jackie's conviction made Ryo believe that she could do it, that she could do anything she set her mind to.

Slowly, the fear and disgust in Ryo's heart began to fade and her hands clenched into fists. Could she really do the same thing? Could she actually come to terms with taking the lives of others to protect those she loves?

Suddenly, Ryo felt wiggling on her belt and the pokeballs attached to them open, revealing her team.

"Lade, Gallade!"

"Puff!"

"Gooo"

"Costa!"

"Lass!"

Every single one of her pokemon, even the flighty Sugar, gave their trainer their own brand of encouragement. They showed her that she could fight alongside them, and they would support her no matter what she did.

"Guys..."

"Zo!"

Ryo gasped when she saw Midnight staggering towards her weakly, pain showing clearly on the Dark type's face. "Midnight, you should be walking yet!"

Midnight shook her head and locked her big blue eyes with Ryo's, a stern gaze on her normally mischievous visage.

Midnight barked and pointed at her then drew in her paw and (gently) flexed the muscle in her arm.

"Midnight, you honestly think I'm that strong? That I can do this?"

There was no doubt in the Zorua's mind. "Ra!"

"See? You aren't alone in this. It may not be our world, but this is our war now. We owe Emmeryn everything, so we should do everything we can to make sure she comes home." Jackie's conviction strengthened the resolve in Ryo's heart, unknowingly causing the bond between the two dimensional travelers to deepen.

Ryo smiled, feeling the last visages of her guilt and disgust with herself to fade away, and newly formed resolve to take its place. She finally understood what she needed to do.

"You're right. Thank you, all of you."

 **Hope you like this extremely delayed chapter! But now onto the news I mentioned earlier.**

 **A few months back I wrote a chapter for a FateStay Night/Pokemon crossover, but since I'm already occupied with this story, my Shrunken Trainer story and the fact that my Nasuverse knowledge is pretty limited outside of basic stuff, I've posted the first chapter to see if someone would adopt it.**

 **I've spread the word to a few writers but so far no luck. If you're interested send me a PM for further details. I just really want to see someone merge these worlds somehow (there's disappointingly little content crossing them over)! Pretty please with chocolate on top~?**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry this took so long to update... Again! I need to learn to expect to be more patient with my co-writer, she has a life too! Anyways I hope you like the chapter we've put out though!**

Ryo fires a Wind spell at her Carracosta, Riptide, as she and Maribelle practise using tomes with Robin instructing them, Midnight and Arthur watching from the sidelines. As much as she still didn't like it, she knew it was necessary.

"Are you certain that Riptide can handle all these attacks?" Maribelle asked in concern with how they were making the Prototurtle Pokemon a target of their attacks.

"Don't worry, wind magic is pretty close to Flying-type attacks and due to being a Rock-type they won't phase him so much, right pal?"

"Carra!" Riptide grunted as he patted his stomach as if saying, 'I can take it!'.

"Well, I must say Ryo, you are getting the hang of using tomes despite these very short lessons." Robin complemented.

' _Then again I barely had a chance to learn when I joined the Shepherds,'_ She added in her head.

"Really?" Ryo questioned with a blush. "It doesn't feel like much though..."

"You should sell yourself short, girl! In more ways than one!"

Everyone turned to see Flavia walking towards them. "We're moving out now, so pack up and let's get going!"

"Yes ma'am!" They responded as Ryo returned Riptide to his Pokeball and released Jeb from his.

 **Later...**

"Hey Khan Flavia, can I ask you something?" Ryo asked sheepishly as the large group of Shepherds and Feroxi soldiers marched towards the Plegia.

"Sure, ask away."

"When you complemented me earlier, what do you mean by 'in more ways than one', exactly?"

Flavia chuckled at the Pokemon Watcher. "You kidding? I heard from Chrom and some of the others, you're pretty much the only one who managed to pull off in months what I've been trying to do in two years: be Shani's friend!"

Ryo humphed at her words before turning away.

"Uh oh, guess I spoke to soon." Flavia sighed. "What did she do this time?"

"When I was trying to get over killing that Plegian soldier, Shani pretty much said that I shouldn't care about killing someone!" She ranted a bit before gripping her Alpha's Ring. "Not only that, she said to not waste time on prayers because-"

"Let me guess, she said that Gods don't exist and if they did they don't give a crap about us?"

Ryo turned back to face the East-Khan. "I take it you've heard this line before."

"Too many times to count, girlie..."

"But why? Why is she so adamant on convincing people that?" Ryo questioned trying to make sense of the myrmidons rants.

Flavia pinched the bridge of her nose. "I wish I had an answer but that girl is just one big enigma ever since we met. When she wasn't trying to kill herself she was trying to convince anyone within earshot that 'religion is fake' and 'fairytales can't tell us what to do'. And whenever I try to talk to her about it, she just looks at me like I've done the dumbest thing in the world!"

Ryo kept looking at her in bewilderment as Flavia continued.

"I've tried being her friend, I really did but Shani always blocks me out. I was the one who found her and took her in but even then she never saw me as trustworthy. In fact she always looks at me like she expects I'm going to do something bad to somebody."

"Why would she think that? I barely know you and I think you're pretty trustworthy."

"Haha! Thank you!" The Khan laughed but looked around to see the subject of their conversation further away tending to her Shinx. "Now, I'm merely making guesses here but I think her huge mistrust with authority figures is because she was wronged by one. Maybe by someone in a church..."

Ryo tilted her head a bit. "...Why that specifically?"

"Whenever we walk by a church, she acts like it's going to jump out and eat her. Every time she sees a priest she acts like she's seeing evil incarnate. Shani may try to hide it but maybe... she not only has some sort of deep, rooted hatred of religion; she has a deep rooted _fear_ of religion in general."

Ryo shifted around uncomfortably on her Gogoat, not knowing how to deal with the information given to her. Shani being scared of religion, as odd as it sounds, makes sense to the times Shani ranted at her sounded more like she was fearing for her safety, rather than being angry. It was almost... worrying.

She got whine of concern from Midnight, causing the girl to give the Zorua a rub on her head.

"Look I get your mad at her but can you at least try and talk to her. Who knows... maybe you can get more info out of her than I ever could." Flavia said.

Ryo remained quiet before casting a gaze at Shani. "Oooh..."

 **Later...**

The forces of both Ylisse and Ferox arrived at the deserts of Plegia. So far, everything went as planned, but Chrom couldn't help but feel it was too easy, so he sent Sibuna ahead to scout the area, and Sumia sent Soren with him as back up.

After a while they came back with Frederick joining them.

"Milord, our scouts report some manner of engagement downfield." Frederick said.

"They don't appear to be Plegian soldiers, but from the killer intent in their auras, they are not friendly either." Sibuna continued.

"Pideoo." Soren nodded.

"Understood. Get everyone ready to move."

"These desert sands are certain to bog down our units, milord. Only mages and fliers will likely be able to proceed unhindered." The knight explained.

Chrom nodded at the explanation. "Good point. I'll keep it in mind. Robin, let's discuss strategy."

Everyone got into position as Robin barked out orders and formulated strategy after strategy that would lead their group to victory and that much closer to freeing Emmeryn from her fate.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road!" Basilio bellowed, his Piloswine letting out its own bellow as they both fended off a group of axe wielders. Sergio fired Icicle Spears at a couple of Wyvern riders that decided to try and ambush the Eastern Khan then used his Fury Attack to take down a couple more axe wielders in range. "Now that's what I'm talking about!

In another are of the desert, Ricken was combatting another battalion of Wyvern riders and axe wielders. Being a long ranged fighter and a specialist of wind magic, he was able to take down the riders in the air and effectively cutting down the numbers of the axe men.

"Alright!" The young teen exclaimed as he shot down another Wyvern rider. Unfortunately for him, he didn't notice a mage with a fire tome cast a spell in his direction until he could practically feel the lick of the flames upon his skin.

"Cascade, use Mud-Shot!" A familiar voice called out just in time. The fire spell was intercepted by a ball of mud and the mage fell over as two arrows pierced his heart.

Ricken's auburn eyes widened when he saw Jackie approaching him with her Quagsire by her side, worry present in her sparkling blue eyes. "Are you alright, Ricken?"

The young mage seemingly forgot how to speak, the words unable to get out of his suddenly dry mouth. Instead, he nodded to ease the new archer's worries.

Jackie's eyebrow was raised in bewilderment at his odd behavior but shrugged. They had more important things to be worrying about now. "Well, if you're sure you're okay, then let's go. We've got work to do."

In the midst of all the chaos, a young girl ran smack dab through the middle of the battlefield. She looked to be no older than 10 or 11 years of age with long, lime green hair that was tied into a high ponytail and long, pointed ears that indicated that the girl was not of human origin. She was clad in a skimpy outfit that revealed much of her torso, her upper half consisting of a pair of large gloves that concealed her dainty hands, a cape and a scaly cloth tied with a pink ribbon, while her bottom half was concealed with leg covering boots and some sort of chain mail sorts and a small tiara snug on her forehead completed the look. Trailing beside her was a dragon-like creature with a light green body, teal antennae and stripes that covered its body and yellow goggles that protected its eyes from the harsh sands of the desert.

The out of breath girl's name was Nowi and she was not happy.

"Did... Did we lose him, Peridot?"

The brightly colored dragon grunted but was unable to reply as another, seemingly older figure appeared next to them from the harsh sands. It was a middle aged, burly man with stern features and burnt orange hair that just crowned the top of his head. He was clad in armor and heavy clothing and toted around an iron sword at his side.

"Wait, I say! Why you no comprehending, wee one?" The man spoke in a very thick, Russian accent.

Nowi couldn't help but scream. "AUGH! GET AWAY! Everyone just leave me ALONE!" The girl was reduced to tears as she fell to her knees. Her emotional distress greatly affected Peridot, the dragon growling ferociously at the male.

"Please, be keeping down with the voice! You give away position! Very bad!" He tried to calm Nowi down, but his pleas seemed to fall onto deaf ears.

"My throat is dry, my shoes are full of sand, and some big weirdo is trying to KILL ME!"

"Oy, you break Gregor's heart! Why you treat like villain?"

Cutting down another mage, Chrom came upon the strange duo. the girl being accompanied by a brightly colored dragon, one that looked just like...

 _'A Pokémon?'_

When the Ylissean prince noticed how upset the young girl was, his protective instincts went into overdrive and he pointed the Falchion at the bulky man.

"You there! Fiend! Get away from that maiden!"

"Who is fiend? ...You mean Gregor?" The mercenary inquired. He then held up his hands in a, hopefully, non-hostile manner. "No, friend! You have idea wrong!"

Lissa couldn't help but scoff, finding the older man a little bit creepy and already tense from the battle they were in. "Yeah, right! Creep!"

Gregor sighed, not enjoying his conversation in the least. "This day has been nothing but insults, flying flames and punches to groin. And all for doing good deed!Listen, friend! Gregor only want to—"

The mercenary was interrupted by the appearance of an elderly man clad in grimleal robes and, most disturbingly, no pupils were present in his eyes. He snarled at the Shepherds and the two new editions. "Gotcha, you slippery scamp! Prepare for a dose of Grima's wrath!"

By now, the mercenary looked more than a little displeased at the current situation. "Oy, this is most terrible! Do you see now? They make with the catching of us!"

"Why are you all after the girl?" Chrom seemed to ignore the Grimleal follower at the moment.

"All? What is this "all"? Gregor is not one of "all"! Look close! Maybe you not see from so far? Gregor have innocent-baby face!" On cue, a giant grin spread across Gregor's face, trying to make himself as "innocent" as possible.

If possible, the atmosphere became more palpable and took on a rather awkward air

"Hmm", Chrom looked skeptical

Lissa didn't know what to say. "Well..."

Robin, on the other hand, wasn't as subtle with her opinion, "Yeah... Not sure "innocent baby" is how I'd describe it."

Gregor let out a groan in exasperation. "Gah! Never be minding! Gregor is not enemy! You must believe!"

"This is making my head hurt." Chrom sighed, rubbing his forehead. "We'll sort him out later. Right now, we need to protect the girl."

Nowi's head perked up. "Y-you're going to help me?"

"We'll do everything in our power to keep you safe. Just hold on until we can reach you, and we'll drive them off!" The Ylissean prince yelled over to them. He looked over his surroundings and noticed various clutters of houses dangerously close to where they were fighting.

 _'We need to warn these villages of the danger. But who to send? Best if it's someone who can move swiftly through the sands.'_

Chrom looked over to Ryo (riding on Jeb), who has Levi assisting her with a couple of axe wielders, and saw that she was the closest to where the village was.

"Ryo, I need you to go and warn the villagers. Give them a warning to close their walls until this battle is through."

The pokemon watcher fired another spell at an oncoming attacker, turned her head towards Chrom and nodded in affirmation. "Roger that. Let's go, Levi!"

"Lade!"

"Master Chrom! The girl!"

Alarmed, the Ylissean prince saw that armed forces were moving towards the young girl. A mage had his tome withdrawn and was prepared to launch a spell.

"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" She grabbed at the stone around her neck and was encased in a bright green light. Where was once a young girl now flew a bright green dragon with crystalline-like scales. Beside her was Peridot whom joined Nowi in taking down the mage with a skilled Flamethrower.

The spectacle caught the attention of both Chrom and Robin, both of whom had bulging eyes at the sight.

"What in blazes?! The girl is a dragon!" Robin cried, having not seen anything like it since Panne and even this was rather incredulous.

"By the gods, she's a manakete. I never thought I'd see one." Chrom whispered with awe.

' _Hmm... Perhaps she doesn't need our help so much as we could use hers.'_ Robin pondered this notion and decided to leave the girl, the mercenary and the apparent new pokemon to what they were doing. At this point, with the Exalt's life on the line, they'd need all the help they could get.

Meanwhile, Ryo and Levi managed to make their way to the small village on the outskirts of the desert. She saw an elderly man standing by the gate, worry evident on his visage.

"Sir, you need to evacuate your village before the Grimleal arrive. The battle is only going to get worse from here."

The Elder reciprocated Ryo's warning with a kind smile. "Gods praise ye, good people! Gods praise ye one and all! We lives in constant fear of what the Grimleal will do to us, so we does! 'Ere!" He reached into his robed and pulled out a staff very similar to what Lissa wields. "Take this staff with me blessings! It can fetch distant comrades to safety. Be sure to place it in the hands o' one gifted in spells or the like. Magic folk be able to reach the farthest with it!"

Ryo took the staff and nodded. "Thank you very much. Now, please close your gates until this battle is over."

"You have my gratitude, young child. May Naga guide you and your people to victory." With that, the Elder walked passed the threshold of the village gates and signaled to the gatekeepers to shut and lock them down.

Sighing, the Pokémon Watcher tightened her hold on the Rescue staff and turned to her Gallade. "Let's go, Levi."

"You scum! Both you and your false god end here and now!" The vicious statement caught Ryo's attention and her eyes widened in horror when she saw a very bloody Shani standing amongst a sea of corpses with her sword pointed towards the head of the army, Chalard. Despite the fierce look in her eyes, Ryo could see that some of the blood covering the myrmidon's body belonged to her and the injuries she sustained from multiple opponents were starting to take their toll, her breathing becoming more laborious as time passed.

' _Shani...'_

In retaliation to Shani's bold statement, the dark mage cackled. "Ha ha! You dare defy Grima, god of annihilation?"

"Gods aren't real. Even if he was real, I would defy such a despicable god a thousand times over!"

"Then you will die as his sacrifice!" Chalard withdrew his tome, a Nosferatu, and fired a dark spell at Shani. Shani moved, or she tried to, but a visible cringe and wobbly legs hindered her movements."

"Shani, look out!" Ryo decided now was the time to use the staff given to her. She channeled her magic into it and managed to get Shani out of the way before the dangerous spell could hurt her any further, or worse.

Shani was transported nearby and Ryo ran up to her, falling to her knees beside the myrmidon. "Shani, are you alright?"

But she never got a response as Shani continued to look down at the desert floor, seemingly refusing to look Ryo in the eye. Ryo sighed, then stood up and faced Chalard, Levi at her side.

"Insolent child!"

"Levi, Psycho Cut!" Ryo let out the order, the Gallade following it to a T. The Psychic/Fighting type ran forwards at high speed with bright purple bladed arms and cut through the Grimleal leader, blood pouring from the fatal slashes.

"Master Grima...my life force...is yours, "Chalard let out a final gasp as his life left his body, successfully ending the battle then.

Ryo sighed, feeling nothing for ending yet another life, a stark contrast to what had happened a mere couple of days beforehand. She then looked to the bloodied Shani and scanned the battlefield, where she saw the corpses of those slain by the older girl. Many of them were cleaved in half, others decapitated and a lot of them beaten so bad their faces were unrecognizable.

"Shani, why are your kills so violent. In my time fighting by your side, I've never seen you become this violent. What makes the Grimleal so different?"

There was no answer right away, but soon, Shani looked up and locked gazes with Ryo. She looked almost sad, exhausted even and Ryo had a feeling it wasn't just because of the fight. "Please, please don't ask. I don't want to talk about it."

Ryo opened her mouth, but shut it almost immediately after when a pleading expression entered Shani's eyes. She couldn't bring herself to drudge anything back up, so Ryo sighed and nodded before going to join the Shepherds.

"This is just the worst. Day. EVER!" Nowi wailed as Peridot tried to comfort her with loving nuzzles.

"Ho now, wee one! Do not make with the crying of tears. The evil people are now dead people. This is good, no?" Gregor said.

Nowi wiped the tears from her eyes. "You... You're right. Th-thank you. And... I'm sorry I was so mean to you earlier. I just get nervous around people who are...outside my age group."

"Your age group? Ha! Gregor much closer to your age than others here!"

Chrom then stepped foward towards the older man "Say, um...Gregor, was it? Gregor, do you mind looking after her? We need to press on."

"Mmm... Gregor is mercenary, yes? Maybe you hire Gregor instead." Gregor offered. "True, Gregor just finish killing former employers, but still very reliable! So long as you not try to hurt little girl, Gregor will not hurt you. Also, Gregor need steady income. ...Many angry former employers."

"You're a sellsword?"

Gregor laughed a bit.

"Yes! Very swell sword! Cost performance very high. You have Gregor's word."

"Sure, why not? You're hired." Chrom shrugged.

"But! But what about me?! I WON'T go back on the auction block!" Nowi exclaimed in distraught.

Lissa gasped in shock. "Wait. You've been sold? Like a...like a slave?!"

"To men more despicable than you can possibly imagine. They made me transform for them... They drank and laughed and called out tricks... I probably wouldn't be able to escape if it weren't for Peridot."

The Flygon squealed happily as Nowi pet her neck only to get interrupted by Jackie making a loud gasp and taking out her Pokedex. "No way! A Shiny Flygon?!"

 _ **Flygon, the Mystic Pokemon. A Ground/Dragon type. It is nicknamed "The Desert Spirit" because the flapping of its wings sounds like a woman singing. This Pokemon is native to the Hoenn region. Readings indicate this Flygon is a Shiny Pokemon.**_

"Shiny Pokemon?" Robin asked seeing the picture on the Pokedex look different from the Flygon before them.

Before Jackie can answer, Nowi did it for her. "Shinies are Pokemon of a different color. Because they're very rare, they get targeted by hunters a lot."

"Wow, you know that...?" The brunette asked.

"Peridot told me she was chased a lot back home. It's why she got me away from those men so please don't make a big deal about it." Nowi said, making Jackie somewhat ashamed.

"Sorry..."

"What kind of scumbags buy and sell a little girl?! Even if she CAN turn into a dragon..." Lissa exclaimed in outrage.

"She may be little, milady, but not nearly so young as you might think. Manaketes live a very long time." Frederick explained.

"Really? ...How old are you?"

"Oh, I dunno. ...A thousand...something? But look! No wrinkles!" The manakete said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Whoa... And you look even younger than me!" Jackie said in wonder.

"Awww, thanks!"

"The dragonkin are said to be more resilient than men." Frederick spoke up. "Nowi would make a strong ally. Besides, we cannot risk her falling back into the hands of the Grimleal."

"Beg pardon, but who are the Grimleal?" Robin asked the knight.

"Followers of the fell dragon, Grima. The selfsame dragon the first exalt defeated a thousand years ago. Even today there are some who yearn for the fiend's return."

"I...see." She said, a little uneasy with a group worshipping a being of destruction. Also because of Shani's violent change in fighting style the second she saw them, going from quick and efficient to making sure their deaths are slow and painful.

 _'And she wanted to do that to me!'_ She thought until Flavia came up to them

"Well, shall we get some rest? We're almost to the Plegian capital. We'll need all our strength, soon enough..."

As everyone agreed to that plan Ryo made Shani ride with her on Jeb, just to make sure she's there.

"...Shani?" Ryo said nervously.

After a moment of silence the myrmidon asked, albeit quietly "...What?"

Ryo then took a deep breath; she needs to sort out her feelings now before the two of them go any further. And frankly, she's had enough of Shani being so vague.

"We need to talk."

 **Meanwhile...**

"Cacturne! Cacturne!"

A group on wild Cacturne were surrounding an exhausted man in desert. They followed him for a while a found the opportunity to strike.

 _'Gods forgive me, I failed my group, and the Exalt._ '

He thought it was the end for him as the Grass/Dark types closed in until...

"Flame Burst!"

A feminine voice exclaimed as fire balls and their debris blasted the Cacturne and chased them away.

The man turned painstakingly to his savior, only to find a large fox with stunning gold fur and nine equally stunning tails. He suddenly felt like he was being lifted by an unknown force and onto the foxes back.

"...W-What?"

"Shhh... try not to move, sir. There is an oasis nearby so you can drink the water you need. Thank the Alpha that I found you when I did..."

The desert heat and exhaustion must have been messing with his mind because he swore that the woman's voice from earlier was coming from the fox.

"...A-Are you an angel?"

The voice stiffed a small laughter. "Good sir, my name may be Seraphim but I can assure you, I am no angel. I am nothing more than your average Ninetales."

 **Well, there you have it! Hope it was worth the wait!**

 **Also... I have a request for anyone reading. I've decided to be the one to continue my Fate/Stay NightXPokemon story (Which I recently updated with another chapter) but I need a beta to help me. Preferably someone who's well versed in the series to help me with some facts and getting people in character. If anyone's up for it please leave a comment or PM me.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you want to ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya! And Happy Halloween!**


	19. Chapter 19

***MBenz shyly peeks around the corner, twiddling her thumbs hoping no one unleashed an angry mob* Ehehehe... I know I've been gone for a while... and some of you probably thought I was dead... But let me start by saying this was NOT INTENTIONAL! I didn't mean for this story to go cold for so long! I didn't write in November because Pokemon Moon (Best Pokemon games ever! It even gave me a few new ideas!) I started writing in December and I sent the chapter to my beta in the same month but since she was SUPER busy due to the holidays I didn't get it back until today!**

 **I'm sorry you waited so long but please don't get angry with us! Hopefully the chapter is worth it...**

The aftermath of the conflict in the desert found the Shepherds taking a little bit of a respite in order to treat the wounded and formulate their next plan of action.

A little bit away from the camp, Jackie sat alone, contemplating the events that have happened since she first arrived in this world. She'll be the first to say that she never expected to be pulled head first into a war that went against everything she was raised to believe in. Not only that, but she dearly missed her family and feared that, one day, she would die and her family would never know what happened to her. Even if she did return, Jackie could safely say the changes she went through since coming to Ylisse and fighting in this war would undoubtedly be noticed by her rather intuitive parents.

"Are you okay?"

Not expecting to be addressed, Jackie yelped and whirled around, meeting the eyes of an equally startled Ricken.

Jackie let out a sigh before giving the auburn haired mage a look that seemed to be a cross between one of indignation and one of regret. "S-sorry about that! You scared me though!"

"I didn't mean to! You just, well, you looked troubled so I got worried."

When Jackie stared at him with a rather inquisitive look, Ricken blushed and turned his head away quickly. 'Darn it, I'm not supposed to act like this. Men don't act like this, even around pretty girls...wait, pretty?'

 _'He's weird,'_ Jackie couldn't help but think as she observed Ricken having what seemed to be a sort of inner monologue combined with a breakdown, the blush on his face increasing with each second. But then she smiled and giggled, catching his attention. "It's nice of you to be worried, but you don't have to be. I was just...thinking through some things, that's all." Her statement ended quietly and the brunette drew her legs into her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

This did nothing to deter Ricken though.

"Is it about what happened today?"

Jackie looked up at the sky. "Yes, and no. I am worried about Shani and her actions on the battlefield today, but lately I've been thinking about everything that has happened since I came to this world. So much has happened and now I'm fighting in a war, something I never would have thought would happen to me."

Ricken furrowed his eyebrows, a feeling of anxiety entering his chest. "Do you...regret coming here?"

"No, no! I'm actually glad I came to this world. I've met so many great people and who else can say that they traveled to another dimension?" Jackie paused and then looked down at her hands. "But I can't also help but feel like I'm changing so much. Not even a few months ago, I would have never considered killing another person. Now though, I've killed so many Plegians already and I know I will have to kill even more once we go to rescue Emmeryn. The thing that's bothering me the most is that I'm starting to get used to killing!" At this point, Jackie's voice had risen and her eyes began to water. "I...I'm scared, Ricken. I know I just told Ryo that we have to fight if we want to survive, but...what if I turn into someone no one can recognize? What if I die and my parents will never know what happened to their daughter?"

Tears streamed down Jackie's face, her hand doing nothing to stop their flow. Ricken stared at the sobbing girl, almost unsure of what to do. But slowly, he seemed to steel himself, a fierce determination gleaming in amber orbs and the mage grabbed one of Jackie's hands, bring her attention to him.

"You won't die. I can promise you that. I-I may not be the strongest of the Shepherds, or the biggest or even the most useful, but I'll get stronger! I'll get so strong that no one will be able to hurt you again! I promise you that your parents won't have to grieve over their lost daughter."

Ricken's speech warmed Jackie, making her heart skip a beat as she felt her face begin to heat up. A soft smile spread across her face and she locked gazes with Ricken. "Thank you, Ricken. And I'll make sure to get stronger in my own way as well."

They stared at each other for, to them, seemed like hours. Then Jackie blushed when she realized she was staring at the young mage and averted her gaze somewhere else. Ricken followed her example, rubbing the back of his hand. "S-so, uh, wanna head back?"

"Y-yeah. That's a good idea."

Near where the makeshift infirmary was, Ryo had observed the entire conversation (not eavesdropped!) and could only smile at the two awkward teens as their budding feelings made themselves known. It looks like coming here may have been a good thing for the younger pokemon trainer, if Ricken was to be the one she may very well spend the rest of her life with. Though Ryo had to wonder what would happen once they found out why they were sent here and if they were given a chance to go home.

'You seem to be lost in thought."

Ryo tilted her head over to Shani, who was finished being taken care of by Lissa and Angela. The myrmidon was clean of all the blood that had soaked her body earlier and was adorn in a new outfit until her other one could be cleaned.

The purple haired girl sigh. "It's nothing really, just thinking about things?"

"Like what?" Shani inquired.

Ryo raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like Shani to be this...interested in anybody, least of all her.

"Home, really. I'm wondering how things are going on in my world."

Shani stared at Ryo with a piercing gaze, making the pokemon watcher slightly uncomfortable.

Lissa, who had been oddly silent during the entire exchange, asked her own question. "So, Ryo? You've been with us for a while, and yet we really don't know that much about you. Where in your world are you from and what's your family like?"

Ryo was taken aback. She had never really been put on the spot before, and nobody she had ever met really inquired about her life. Looking around, the Pokémon Watcher saw that many of the other Shepherds seemed interested too and she sighed.

Guess it was time to tell her story, at least some of it. There were some things they really didn't have to know.

"I used to live in a place called Goldenrod City, where my parents were the biggest Pokemon Potion moguls in both Johto and Kanto and my brother Taro is both a Pokemon and human doctor." Ryo suddenly spoke up.

Shani raised her head as she was being bandaged by Lissa and Angela, not understanding where Ryo was going with this.

"Taro may do his job for the love of helping people but my folks were all about the money, even though we were pretty loaded already. They loooved my bro's choice in career, but they never approved of my dream to be a Pokemon Watcher because, according to them, 'if it barely makes money it's not a good dream', and they constantly try to push me in to running the business."

Ryo pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed as Midnight rubbed against her leg. "A couple of years ago, our disagreements just kept getting worse and worse, and after a ...really big blowout I ran away to Ecruteak City where my brother was staying."

"What was your fight about?" Shani decided to ask.

The purple haired girl was silent for a moment; as if choosing her words, before responding. "Let's just say they deemed it bad enough to turn the rest my family minus Taro against me..."

Ryo could still remember those moments when Taro was being pressured by everyone to ditch her and forget that she exists but even after their parents disowned the both of them.

 _'I can,'t believe you two! Because Ryo is a little different and she had the nerve to say what she feels for once, you're kicking her out of the family?! Oh don't play the victim with me Mom, the least you can do is accept her for who she is! I did a long time ago! I'm her big brother, I'm supposed to notice! I never told you because we KNOW the both of you well. You're so high and mighty in your ways that you can't accept something that's COMPLETELY NORMAL! You have a lot of growing up to do and until then, don't bother calling back.'_

Ryo remembered that phone call between Taro and their mother vividly. She never heard him so angry before that moment.

"Despite being basically cut off, Taro and I did just fine on own. We stayed in Ecruteak for a while before going on the road. I was going through some depression at that time so Taro thought it be best to stay there until i got my head straight. After a year of traveling together we went our separate ways and I started my Watcher journey, studying Pokemon in their natural habitats and sketching locations. It helped me deal with my depression too."

"And when was it that you started to become interested in Legendary Pokémon?" Stahl inquired.

Ryo scratched the back of her head as she tried to recall exactly when her interest in the Pokémon deities.

"It may have started when exploring the towers in Ecruteak but during my journey and seeing some of the older sites sparked a new dream along the way. To meet a Mythical or even a Legendary Pokemon face to face..."

Shani then glared at the ground and clenched her fists.

"Look, I can't speak for this world and I don't plan to, but I know in my world they DO exist. This isn't blind faith as you believe, heck I was probably as skeptical as you are! But after seeing Groudon and Kyogre battle on TV all those years ago, I was convinced!"

"What's a TV?" Ricken asked Jackie quietly.

"I'll explain later." She whispered back.

"If I may ask Ryo, why do want to meet these Pokemon in the first place?" Robin asked.

Ryo answered with a shrug. "It's not a religious thing if that's what your getting at. I may be raised Arceist but since my travels to various regions I became... a little bit of everything I guess. From Arceist to Mewist, from Natural-Cyclist to all the types of Draconism; I learn about these other faiths to see if I can understand the Pokemon behind them more. This may sound a bit silly but I want to meet them to what their really like, what makes them tick, what are their likes and dislikes, why do some of them go out of their way to help us when things get dire." ***1**

"So your dream is to basically have a friendly chat... with gods." Shani said incredulously.

"Pretty much." Ryo responded simply.

"It would be amazing if we could actually do that," Jackie commented. "I remember my dad reading to me a book on Legendary pokemon back when I was a child. It was a story about Entei and the Unown, ironically enough. Since then, I'd always wanted to meet at least one of them, especially Entei. Talking to them would be a dream come true." ***2**

"Pheh, I don't think people can have 'friendly chats'. Gods, who I'm still convinced aren't real, just love to make us mortals suffer for shits and giggles." Shani said bitterly as she started to tear up. "... Even when you've done nothing wrong."

"Shinx..." Chaka, feeling her sadness, snuggled against her.

Her contradicting behavior was starting to worry the others. This is the first time in a while since the Shepherds saw her so... broken.

Chrom decided to risk it and knelt towards her. "Shani, what happened to you? Why do you feel so strongly about this?"

Shani looked around the people and surrounding her. Why do they want to know? They're not her friends, so why do they care? But... she couldn't stop looking at Flavia, as much as she pushes her away, she does still respect her and was, in her own way, a mother figure to Shani. And then there's Ryo, staring at her with those pleading eyes, something in the myrmidon fell to pieces.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke. "My father was a member of a royal house in Valm. A very minor royal house mind you, so much that once they lost their fortune, they faded into obscurity."

While it went unnoticed by the others, Virion raised a brow in surprise.

"Now in poverty, my father trekked the land until he came across my mother, an incredibly gifted street performer. Whether it was singing, dancing, acrobatics or illusions, my mother could do it all, and she made a respectable living. They did fall for each other, married and had me and my twin sister Timira..."

"You have a twin sister?!" Lissa exclaimed.

"Lissa! Don't interrupt!" Chrom scolded.

"Sorry..."

"Anyway..." Shani muttered. "My mother taught me and Timira everything she knew. Even when we were young, we had enough talent to be a part of her performances."

"And your father?" Cordelia spoke up.

"No. She tried teaching him but he never grasped it; the only way to make himself feel useful was being her assistant. It took me years to understand it but... I think he never liked it that his wife was the breadwinner." She answered bitterly before continuing again.

"In case you were wondering, we had faith before, but unlike most people, we didn't make it a constant part of our lives. We only prayed before meals or our shows. That's it. Mother always said, 'Understand, to achieve anything, it requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard-work, determination and dedication. Give out constant effort and you can reach higher than any god ever could'."

"That sounds like strong advice." Flavia said. "But why do you try act like faith is pointless?"

"It all started going downhill when I was 10 years old and bandits killed my mother during a show..." After hearing collective gasps from the others she continued. "It shook our family so much we never performed again but pretty soon we had no money for anything. After nearly a month on the streets we came across secluded, walled off village called Himlen, a highly religious village were the priests run absolutetly everything. They took us in, provided food and shelter. My father loved the place but me... I lost something precious in those walls."

"W-What?" Ryo asked nervously.

"My dignity, that's what! Those people pray every hour on the hour to a god that wasn't your dragons that I'm pretty sure was made up! They treated every female no matter the age as beneath them! We never saw life outside the walls again! All because those damn priests made them afraid of the real world and made them believe that staying in Himlen will keep them pure 'away from the sins of the world'. Five years of my life was wasted in that awful place..."

Shani shook with a burning hatred, recalling how much she wished to escape from that place. But her love for her family and the fear that the village leaders instilled into them kept her from acting on her desires.

"My sister didn't like this lifestyle either but she was too afraid to say anything. I was more... vocal. But the villagers don't like it when someone else, especially a girl, to express an opinion that wasn't from one of the head priests. It's always either their way or no way, defy it and you'll face severe punishments ranging from public shaming to no food or water for days..."

Shani started trembling further, holding onto Chaka like he was her lifeline. "One day, the youngest priest, still in training named Martin was in love with me despite my quote on quote 'flaws'. But I was interested in... someone else, so I turned him down gently. Afterwards, I confessed to my love my feelings... it didn't end well. Sh-... He told the priests and they allowed Martin to... to..."

The myrmidon started choking on her words and started to cry even more. Some of the Shepherds were (unfortunately) starting to connect the dots on where the story was going. "O-One night h-he came from behind and... and he..."

Suddenly felt like a somebody hug her (with Chaka somewhat squashed in between). Shani turned her head to see that it was Ryo. She would've been blushing if she didn't still feel like crap right now and started to sob in her shoulder.

No one really knew what to say. What could you really say to something like that without it sounding almost...petty or just plain pity. So, the Shepherds settled into a tense silence until Shani composed herself enough to continue with her story.

"What's worse is that when I told everyone I was... violated. No one believed me. They saw the priests as infallible and me as a lying whore! They saw my ripped clothing, the scratches and bruises on my body and they STILL believed them! They even threw stones at me!"

As the story kept going, Flavia was stunned to hear what Shani had been through and she's seen a lot of horrifying things in her life. But Shani's scars, her paranoid behavior, it finally starting to make some sense.

Now she just felt ashamed that she didn't realize it sooner...

"They felt that my 'sins' will corrupt the rest of the village so they kicked me and the rest of my family out. Father berated me more for costing him his 'paradise' and he left me on the side of road to die, taking Timira with him..."

Everyone was stunned silent, not really sure what to say...

"Now you see?" Shani said breaking out of Ryo's arms. "Where were those so called gods when my mother died?! Where were they when Martin forced himself upon me?! Where were they when-?!"

She suddenly stopped herself, as if she was going to say something something she shouldn't. "Forget it, it should be more than enough proof to convince you that religion are nothing more than lies! And from what I'm seeing, it does a lot more harm than good! Chrom and Lissa, you gotta admit that if your father hadn't done that stupid crusade against Plegia, we wouldn't be at war in the first place! And the Exalt would be safe and sound!

Chrom and Lissa bit their lips. She had a point; they're have been time (especially recently) when they did feel the same way...

"And Miriel you're a woman of science! You can't possibly believe those fairytales given everything happening in the world!"

Now everyone knew Miriel for being one of the most stoic of the Shepherds, but this is the first time they saw her... conflicted.

"I was never raised in a religious household. My mother was always one for science and logic, but my father did try to instill a sense of faith in me from the time I could comprehend what I was reading. It may not be logical, but his teachings are the last I have of him and I do my best to uphold those beliefs despite being illogical." Miriel responded truthfully.

"I think people like to use religion as an excuse for their actions, just so they won't feel guilty about what they are doing," Lissa coined in, looking as if she was going to cry at the mere mention of Emmeryn.

"I agree. I don't know why our...that man went on with his crusade and destroyed many innocent lives. There are times when I questioned the Gods, especially when I was growing up. But Emmeryn always told me that everything happened for a reason and, in a way, I do believe her."

Shani stared at the three of them for what seemed like forever before she finally stood up. "Fools, all of you."

With that, the myrmidon left the group with her Shinx in her arms. One by one, the Shepherds left for their tents, too exhausted physically and mentally to stay away, and they would need their rest for the mission to rescue Emmeryn.

The only ones still gathered were the two Khans, Chrom and Robin, and the tense atmosphere was getting to them. Flavia opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when one of Basilio's men, a spy sent to gather information on the future execution. Kneeling on one knee beside him was a faintly humanoid Pokemon, the spy's own Pokemon, as many people were starting to partner with them in recent days.

"The exalt is to be executed at the castle on the morrow." The spy reported. "I heard if from the king's own lips, sire." To affirm his claims, his loyal companion and pokemon partner, a Nuzleaf, gave a solemn nod.

"This is it, then," Basilio growled, obviously not pleased with the news.

Chrom sighed, then looked towards his tactician. "Exactly as you predicted, Robin."

"So far, yes. But tomorrow will be the true test..." Robin trailed off, contemplating just how well their plan would go.

Flavia slapped Robin on the shoulder, surprising the white haired woman. "Chin up, there! Show some confidence! It's your thinking that's got us this far. The plan is risky, but only as much is called for."

"We'll find a way to see it through, Robin. Don't worry. This time tomorrow, we'll be swapping stories with Emm on the road home." Chrom offered Robin a shaky smile, though she could tell that even he wasn't so sure about himself.

Robin sighed. "I hope you're right."

* * *

Meanwhile, Shani sat alone, trying to reign herself in from her rather emotional episode in front of the Shepherds. It hadn't been easy, telling her story. Even if she didn't go into absolutely everything, the myrmidon felt like she got her message across.

Chaka placed a paw on her chest, looking up a his mommy with an inquisitive gaze. "Shinx?" He questioned with a tilt of his head. He purred a little when Shani started to pet him, her smiling down at her baby gently.

"I, it'll take a little bit, Chaka, but I'll be fine once we get through with this mission."

The two remained quiet for a little longer until Shani heard small footsteps coming from behind her. She turned around to see the little manakete girl, Nowi she remembered, approaching her nervously. "Do you need something?"

Nowi fiddled with her thumbs as she tried to gather her thoughts. "It's just...well...you seem to have hatred towards the dragons...so I'm wondering..."

Shani sighed, knowing what Nowi was going to ask her. "If you think I hate you because you're a dragon like Grima and Naga, then don't worry. I don't feel any hatred towards you." She heard Nowi sigh then saw the green haired girl sit down to join her in her stargazing.

"That's good." Nowi remarked, some of her usual cheerfulness coming through.

"I don't feel any hatred towards you," Shani continued. "Because I don't view Naga or Grima as Gods, especially Grima. Whoever worships that kind of monster needs a big reality check and a one way ticket to the nuthouse. Nothing will persuade me otherwise!"

Nowi looked at Shani with an almost unreadable expression on her face, and tilted her head much like a child would. "Oh, I already know that. Naga and Grima, well, they really aren't gods, though they do have enough power to be them anyway."

Shani looks surprised, as if she was expecting Nowi to protest, especially since the girl was a manakete.

Nowi looked up to the stars. "Not everything is what it seems to be. Sometimes greater truths lie beneath the surface of what we are told."

"That doesn't make any sense," Shani huffed, though it lacked any bite.

Nowi smiled cheerfully. "Oh, it'll make sense eventually."

 _'Weird girl.'_

* * *

When the Shepherds veered off to their own tents, Jackie and Ryo had their own conversation, the two interdimensional travelers wanting to catch up on certain events, particularly the event that happened not too long ago.

Shani's story was definitely fresh in their minds, especially Ryo. It hit her hard because she could identify with Shani, relate to her even.

"I don't think she told the full story," Ryo ended up telling Jackie.

The younger teen only nodded. "I had that feeling too. I noticed that her story lacked any mention of the Grimleal, or why she seems to hate them so much, or the Gods in general."

Ryo rubbed her forehead. This was becoming more complicated than she wanted it to be, and she was already on edge due to what's going to take place tomorrow.

Jackie continued. "Say, when she was talking about confessing to someone before she was...she was attacked, Shani almost seemed like she wanted to say..." The brunette cut herself off, not too comfortable with the subject of sexuality yet.

Ryo sighed. "I know, you don't have to say. I actually came to the same conclusion myself."

"Does this change how you feel about Shani?"

At this question, Ryo could only ponder. Did this new information change how she felt about the myrmidon? Ryo honestly couldn't say. She understood why Shani was the way she was, but the girl's actions and words do disturb her still.

"I-I honestly don't know," Ryo looked down with an uncertain expression before looking up at her friend with a mischievous smirk. "Do you want to talk about your feelings for a certain mage on our team? I noticed that the two of you got awfully close."

Jackie's face was beet red and she tried to defend herself. "Hey! We aren't going to discuss that and why the heck were you eavesdropping, you traitor!"

Ryo laughed as Jackie ranted. It felt good to laugh like this, especially since tomorrow may decide all of their fates.

 ***1 I got the names of those "religions" from the a story by JokerK118, so credit goes to him.**

 ***2 Kitsunelover added that reference that I hope you guys get!**

 **Once again I'm VERY sorry this took so long. Hopefully the next one won't take so long...**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask me? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	20. Chapter 20

**I GOTTA stop making promises I can't keep! Taking care of my grandmother who has early onset Alzheimer's has takien up most of my time away from writing and my beta was just as busy and that took up even more time! I'll let her explain...**

 **Beta's note: Sorry this was such a long wait. I had a lot going on in the last few months and not enough time to work on fanfiction. Now that summer is here, I hope that I can get more time to be the beta for this story.**

 **Well I just hope this chapter is enough to apologize with:**

In a dark, shadowy environment, the dark mage Validar was talking once again to a mysterious figure.

"Master Grima, Exalt Emmeryn is to be put to death on the morrow. Events will soon be back on course." He said.

The dark figure didn't speak, but the dark mage seemed to know what they were saying. After a minute, a wicked smile spread across Validar's face.

"Ha ha, yes, I should never have doubted the truth of your words. The yoke of destiny cannot be cast off! Even as they resist, they write your future with every step, O great one!"

 **...**

"...AAAAAH!"

Robin woke up with a start, sweating bullets and breathing heavily. Arthur woke up from her screams and floated to where his trainer was.

"Dou, Doublade?" He asked in concern. Right at that moment, Lissa came in the tent and noticed Robin's behavior.

"Robin? Hey, Robin! What's wrong? Was it a nightmare?" Asked Lissa

"Is...is that what it was? Y-yes, it must have been..." She said slowly to herself before shaking it off "I'm sorry, what brings you here, Lissa? Was there something you needed?"

"Frederick says it's time to march. And we can't start the plan without our master tactician!"

"Right... of course."

Robin dusted herself off and followed Lissa out of the tent.

"Doublade?" Arthur questioned again, putting his right tassel on her shoulder.

"Arthur... Don't worry. I'm fine." Robin assured.

But the Doublade did not look convinced. He stared at his partner with suspicious eyes the entire way to the meeting area for the Shepherds.

"Alright, I don't have to tell you how important this mission will be. On the morrow, we are to attack Plegia and save our Exalt, my sister Emmeryn from being executed!" Chrom started the meeting.

Everyone gathered in the room adopted a solemn expression. They all knew tomorrow would be the difference in whether Emmeryn would live, or die.

"So, since we have received the report about Emmeryn's execution, our tactician has been working hard to develop a plan that will assure our victory. "Chrom then looked back at Robin, gesturing for her to move forward. "Robin, if you would please."

The white-haired tactician nodded and stood before them. "So, as most of you know, Plegia has a wide range of soldier, and undoubtedly many aerial fighters in their army. Jackie, Virion, Ryo and Ricken, you will be in charge of those coming from the air." She then looked specifically at Jackie and Ryo. "I must also ask that you use your pokemon to your advantage. Talvian, Yuki and Richter will be essential to making this work."

"Right," The trainers chimed, before looking at each other and nodding. With their pokemon, they could hopefully turn the tide in this farce.

"Sibuna and Arthur, you two will be on the front lines as well. Just be wary of any mages with fire tomes."

"Blade!" Arthur responded to his partner.

"Of course!" Sibuna added.

"Good. Now, Chrom, Frederick, Stahl, Jackie, Ryo, Shani and myself will be advancing forward so we can launch the signal for Phila and her team to save Emmeryn. Flavia will take care of the soldier who will be in charge of executing Emmeryn and then we'll make our move. The rest of you back us up and take down any soldiers and reinforcements coming our way. Any questions?"

Silence was her only answer. Good.

"Thank you, Robin," Chrom nodded at his tactician. He looked over each and every one of his comrades, including Sibuna, his unofficial pokemon partner. "And I want to thank everyone here. You have all fought with the Shepherds every step of the way, and I can express enough how important each and every one of you are to this team. Now, it's our true test. My sister is on the verge of death, and Ylisstol cannot lose their Exalt. So, I ask you, will lend me your strength in this battle?"

"You don't need to ask, Chrom. All of us are with you," Ryo said with conviction.

As one, the Shepherds and their pokemon (those that had them) gave their own affirmatives, and Chrom's heart soared.

"Thank you. Now, I want all of you to get a good night's rest. We have a fight to win."

 **The next day...**

At the Plegian Castle, one of the soldiers had Emmeryn on the edge of a cliff ready for execution. Gangrel, grinning like the mad king he was, stood at the bottom of the canyon, addressing a large crowd.

"Good people! Warriors of Plegia! Welcome! Welcome, one and all! Your anticipation electrifies the air! We ALL remember the crimes of Ylisse... Would you have their witch-queen answer for them? Here? Today? NOW?" He shouted as the crowd cheered.

He gave a wicked grin "YEEEEEEEEEEEES! Finally, we will have JUSTICE! EXECUTIONER! If you would be so kind..."

The executioner smirked maliciously as he approached Emmeryn with his axe in hand. He swung it over his head and made to lop off the Exalt's head.

"Flavia!

"I've got him!"

An axe seemingly came out of nowhere and struck the executioner dead on, causing his dead body to fall off the cliff.

"EVERYONE NOW!" Robin shouted as Arthur unsheathed his blades.

"Take out all the soldiers first! We'll deal with the Mad King later!" Chrom added.

"Right!" Sibuna nodded as he summoned a Bone Rush.

Gangrel didn't look the least bit intimidated; in fact his grin grew wider. "Oh will you now? Bwa ha! We've been expecting you, Little Prince." He said as he turned to his soldiers. "Men: Kill him. Kill his sister. Kill his troops and his friends and anyone else you find! KILL THEM AAAAAAAAALL!"

All of the Plegian soldiers that were nearby charged at the enemy army. Except one dark mage in back of group with black hair and a very revealing outfit. She seemed uninterested in fighting, in fact she looked slightly bored.

"So, we're to kill or die here, simply because the king commands it?" She murmured to herself. "Pfft. What do I care of these Ylisseans? We're given no reasons to fight, only orders. What's the point? Besides, I've always been quite good at choosing who to hate on my own..."

A little further away, a nine-tailed fox with golden fur, wearing a sterling silver version of Ryo's Alpha Ring, saw the chaos unfolding with a fearful expression.

"Libra, we're here! And it doesn't look good!" The fox exclaimed telepathically.

Behind her, a rather beautiful looking person was mirroring her expression.

"Exalt Emmeryn! No! Gods speed us to her side!"

Chrom, flanked by Sibuna and Jackie, whom was wielding an iron bow, noticed the long -haired individual cutting down a couple of Plegian soldiers, along with the large fox backing him up by breathing fire. He narrowed his eyes, and approached the figure. "You there! Who are you? Why do you fight alone?"

Libra gasped and bowed. "Good heavens! You're Prince Chrom, brother to Her Grace the Exalt!"

"You know me?" Chrom asked, a little taken back.

Libra lifted his head. "Know you? Of course, sire! All Ylissean clergy do. I must thank the gods for uniting us! Oh, dearest and most heavenly fa—"

"Libra dear..." The fox interrupted. "As lovely as your prayers are, now is not the best time."

Jackie's eyes widened in surprise as she held up her Pokedex. "Another telepathic Pokemon?"

 _ **Ninetales, the Fox Pokemon. A Fire-type. Said to live for a thousand years, this Pokémon uses its supernatural abilities to manipulate fire. It can burn its prey to a crisp as it pleases. This Pokemon is native to the Kanto region.**_

Libra seemed intrigued by the device in Jackie's hand, but Seraphim was right. Now was not the time to be distracted. "Ah, too true! We hurried here to help as soon as word came of the execution."

Chrom nodded. "We need all the help we can get. Are there more of you?

Libra closed his eyes, a grimace overtaking his otherwise composed visage. "Alas, there is not. I lost many brave comrades along the way. In truth, before Seraphim found me, I was starting to doubt the purpose of my struggle." Libra's despair gave way to determination. "But no longer! Pray, sire, let my axe serve you and your party!"

Chrom's posture relaxed slightly, and he gave Libra an easy-going smile. "Your love for my sister is clear. I would be honored to be joined by such a formidable woman of the cloth.

Seraphim just laughed awkwardly as Libra had an... unreadable expression.

"...Man, sire. Man of the cloth."

Chrom blinked in surprise. "You're a... ...You're not a woman?"

"No, sire. Women are clerics. I am a priest. Well, technically a war monk, if you care to split hairs..."

"Oh. Yes, well, I'm... I didn't mean to imply... Well, this is rather awkward." The prince choked on his words.

Libra didn't seem to offended though. "Oh, it's all right, sire. You realized your mistake quickly enough. It could have become much more awkward."

"Much more..." The Ninetales said with a cheeky grin.

Sibuna felt this awkward scene was going on long enough. "Alright let's stop here! We still have work to do!"

Chrom shook off the embarrassment and regained his focus. "R-Right, let's go!"

"Of course, sir!" Libra said eagerly. "Can you still fight, Seraphim?"

"Don't count me out yet, Libra. I haven't died yet." The Fire-type assured before a foxy grin appeared on her face. "These brutes will face the flames of purgatory soon enough..."

Jackie smiled and released Richter from his pokeball. "Richter, let's give them a hand!"

The Rhydon growled and followed the Archer as she followed Libra and Seraphim into battle.

As they ran forward, Sibuna leaned in towards Chrom and whispered in concern. "Chrom, I don't doubt Libra could be an asset to this mission but... well, he's a priest. And you remember how 'you-know-who' feels about priests."

Chrom knew that Sibuna was referring to Shani; her traumatic tale was something not easily forgotten.

"I know, Sibuna. Shani would more than likely throw a fit if she saw a man of faith with us, but I'm afraid we have more pressing matters. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

The Lucario shrugged. "Alright. I just hope you know what you're doing."

Further down the battle field, Ryo and Shani were engaged with another mass of Plegian soldiers. Shani was taking an almost unhealthy amount of pleasure in taking the soldiers down, while Ryo sent out Yuki to combat her opponents, backing her up with her Elwind tome.

After Shani hacked down another soldier, Ryo noticed a certain dark mage doing nothing but stare at them for the past twenty minutes.

The myrmidon couldn't take it anymore and turned to the woman. "Ok, you're getting on my last nerve! You're with the Plegians, right? Do you want to kill us or not?!"

"Shani..." Ryo hushed, afraid what's gonna happen.

The dark mage simply shrugged. "Death comes for all of us eventually. Why invite it early, fighting for a cause I don't believe in?"

Ryo just blinked. "Um... Is that a no?"

"Let's just say I'm keeping my options open. I mean, long live the king and all, but I'd like to keep living as well. And I have a bit of a rebellious streak, I'm afraid. A...dark side." She said cryptically.

"Don't we all?" Shani rolled her eyes.

The Pokemon Watcher inched her Gogoat towards her. "What's your name?"

"...Tharja"

"Well Tharja, if you don't care for King Gangrel, maybe you can help us instead?" Ryo asked hopefully as Shani looked at her like she lost her marbles.

Tharja apparently had the same thought process, blinking in surprise."...You would trust me? What if this is just a ploy to plunge a dagger in your back?"

Chrom approached the group of girls, having heard the entire exchanged and seems to have come to a decision. He stared at the dark mage steadily. "My sister, the exalt—I think she would trust you. And I'm trying to learn from her." A smile spread across Chrom's lips and a chuckle erupted from his throat. "Besides, I already need to watch my back, whether you're with us or not."

Tharja contemplated their words for a moment, still not believing in their good nature.. "Well, that's odd... Usually when I bring up the backstabbing bit the discussion is over. All right, then—consider me your new ally. ...For now."

When the others were out of earshot, Shani shot a glare at Tharja.

"You do anything to hurt Ryo, I will personally make Hell look like a litter of puppies to you." Shani hissed.

"Oh...? You care for the girl but not the prince? How interesting..." Tharja said, chuckling.

"S-Shut up!" Shani stuttered as she walked away.

With the combined efforts of the Archers, Virion and Jackie, as well as the aerial pokemon like Talvian and Soren, the wyvern riders were successfully taken down. The shepherds had also rid most of the desert of the Plegian forces, leaving only Gangrel and his guards at the top of the cliff as their opposition.

Chrom clenched his fists, a feeling of victory bubbling in his chest way too soon for comfort. But he wasn't thinking of victory. All he wanted to do now was get Emm back from the clutches of that sleazyball of a king. "Robin! Their wyvern riders have fallen! The skies are clear! I'm giving the signal!"

Once the exalted prince gave the signal, the Pegasus knights, led by Phila, rushed in, their spears at the ready.

"Your Grace!" Phila cried out,

Emmeryn's eyes widened. "Phila! I'm so glad to see you're safe! But how?"

"Khan Basilio's men and the Pokemon freed me. Come, we must hurry!"

"What? Pegasus knights? How did they?" Gangrel looked less than pleased, gritting his teeth and turning his glare towards Robin. "That damned Ylissean tactician does NOT play fair!"

"Heh heh heh... Yes, well. Neither do I." Aversa giggled evily as she opened a yellowish-brown box that let out dark smoke and, out of the smoke, Risen appeared and in large numbers.

Robin looked around the area in a panicked state, struggling to count the amount of Risen that appeared. "Risen?! Oh gods, no! Chrom! There are Risen everywhere!"

"Damn! Not now!" Chrom cursed.

The Mad King cackled at the Ylisseans faces. "Oh, did an army of living corpses just APPEAR out of the blue?! Truly, the heavens smile upon mighty King Gangrel this day! Bwa ha ha ha!"

A risen archer stood below Phila, whose eyes widened in terror. She had no time to retaliate before an arrow was shot and Phila's neck was pierced. The pegasus knight gurgled as she choked on her own blood before falling to the ground.

"Risen... How?" Her eyes grew duller and a faint trickle of tears ran down her face as she let out the last words she would ever utter. "Y-Your Grace, I... Forgive me... Uhh."

"Phila!" Emmeryn cried, as horrified as the shepherds were at the Pegasus knight's death.

"Exeunt one pegasus knight! Bwa ha ha! Watch how they fall, one by one!" Gangrel cackled with a sadistic gleam.

And one by one, they all fell. The pegasus knights under Phila were slain by the Risen archers without mercy, their bodies dropping like flies.

Ryo grew angry at the scene before them and turned towards her Froslass. "Yuki! Stop them!"

"You too, Talvian!" Jackie commanded the same.

Talvian and Yuki gave a battle cry as they flew at high speeds towards the exalt in retaliation but Risen mages fired several types of spells at them, a lot of them super effective against them. Due to them already being exhausted, they fell out of the sky.

"Return!" Both trainers returned their Pokemon to their balls immediately before they hit he ground. The two of them looked in horror at how some of their best battlers were down for the count.

"Dammit, there's too many of them!" Ryo panicked.

Jackie was not fairing so well either at both trying to calm herself and Richter down at the sight of the beaten Charizard.

Robin couldn't believe this was happening. Her plan, everything was falling apart before her very eyes. "No, no, no."

Chrom hung his head, his fists clenched at his sides. "We've lost."

Gangrel smirked. "I believe this is what they call a reversal of fortunes. Now...grovel before me. Plead! Beg for your worthless lives!"

Chrom practically snarled. "I'd give up my life before I'd beg for it from you."

"Oh, now THAT is a good line. A fitting epitaph for your tombstone, perhaps? But it's not just your life in the balance. The exalt still stands upon the block. And I have a dozen bows trained on her. All it would take is one word from me..."

"Emm!" Chrom called out. "Hold on, I'm—"

Gangrel didn't give him the chance to speak. "ARCHERS! If this Ylissean pup or any of their magical creatures so much as twitch, let fly your arrows!"

Chrom had murder in his eyes and if he could get up there, he'd stab Falchion straight through the Plegian King's chest. "I... I'll kill you!"

Sibuna didn't know what to do as anger, hate and despair consumed his human partner. "Chrom..."

"Go ahead! I welcome it. Just know you were responsible for Big Sister's bloody demise!" Gangrel cackled before his gaze swept across the rest of the Shepherds. Half of them were snarling at him and a few of them seemed to be taking this just as badly. Even their magical creatures were reflecting their emotions. "And what of the rest of you? Eh? Who wants the honor of killing the exalt? ...No one? Bah! Your merry band isn't quite so headstrong anymore, is it? Pathetic!"

"Damn you!" Chrom cursed.

Gangrel tsked. "Now, now, my boy—no one needs die today. Not you. Not the exalt. Not your friends. Just lay down your sword, call off your pets and give me the Fire Emblem."

Chrom hung his head. Loath as he was to admit it, he was considering going through with Gangrel's propostion. What could he do?

" I..."

"Chrom! You can't trust him!" Robin tried to reason with him.

"Of COURSE I can't trust him! I'm not an idiot! But if I just say no, he'll kill her! The gods are cruel, damn them! My sister or my duty... A problem with no right answer, yet I must choose!"

No. This couldn't be the answer. It couldn't be. Robin wouldn't accept it. They couldn't give up!

"No!"

Chrom looked takenaback. "Robin..."

"That's right. Don't give up! There has to be a way!" Robin said with conviction.

Chrom really wished he could believe in his tactician, like he had so many times before. Now though...

"If there is, I can't see it... Ah, gods!"

Gangrel had enough of waiting. "I will count to three! Throw down your weapons, or your Exalt becomes the world's largest quiver. One! Two! Thr—"

"Gangrel, hold!" Chrom interrupted before his expression fell "...You win. Everyone, lay down yo—"

"No, wait!"

Everyone stopped and looked up towards Emmeryn still on the cliff.

"SILENCE!" Gangrel exclaimed in fury.

"Emm..." Breathed Chrom.

"King Gangrel, is there no hope you will listen to reason?" Emmeryn questioned with hope.

"You mean listen to more of your sanctimonious babble?! I think not. No, all I want to hear now is the THUNK of arrows, and a SPLAT as you hit the ground. Take one, long, last look from your perch. You do so enjoy looking down on people... Then prepare to meet the ground, and your maker! That is, unless someone were to give me the Emblem... NOW!"

Emmeryn remained silent at the answer.

"ALL RIGHT! All right... Emm, I know you won't approve, but this is my final decision. MAYBE someday we'll face a crisis where MAYBE the Emblem would've helped... But I know for a fact that Ylisse needs you, today! The people need their Exalt, "He looked back at Lissa and then looked down at himself. "And we need our sister. If those dark days should come, we'll face them together!" Chrom pleaded.

Unnoticed by the others, Shani smiled at Chrom's choice.

Emmeryn was still silent before giving her brother a sad smile.

"Chrom... Th-thank you. I know now what I must do..."

"Emm, what are you—"

"Plegians! I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance. Do what you must... As I will do. See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!" She announced to the crowd as she stepped closer and closer to the cliff.

Sibuna's eyes widened as he realized what was going on and so did his master.

"I-Is she doing what I think she's doing?!"

"Emm, no! No!" Chrom exclaimed as he ran as fast as he could towards his sister

Meanwhile, Emmeryn looked around her one last time

 _No reaction...Was I wrong, then? Chrom, this is some torch I'm passing you..._

"So be it." She said to herself with sadness, but at the same time she felt as peace. Emmeryn kept walking until she reached the edge of the cliff... and let her body lean forward until she fell.

 _Chrom..._

 _Lissa..._

 _And all my people..._

 _...Know that I loved you._

Her body hit the ground with a resounding thud, silence spreading across both armies as what Emmeryn did sunk.

Chrom could only stare in anguish at the sight, his body trembling heavily, he didn't even notice Sibuna right by his side; his features also ridden with dispair. The world around him spun until the Exalted Prince fell to his knees, tears running down his face.

"Emm..."

 **Well I hope you like the chapter. Since anything could happen that could keep us busy and I don't like getting people's hopes up with chapters that are just long Author's Notes, just assume lack of updates are small hiatuses unless stated otherwise.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya!**


	21. Chapter 21

**I would've sent this over sooner but I've had problems on my end. I'm not sure how many of you reading this watch the news but Puerto Rico (where I live) got hit by Hurricane Irma four days ago and we've had no power or water since then. I'm fine and so is my family, thankfully since we live smack in the middle of the island we weren't hit as hard but we STILL have no electricity and water and I had to update from a local Burger King that recently got power back.**

 **So until that mess gets sorted out, here's the chapter.**

Everyone was shock still. No one could believe what had happened. Emmeryn took her own life for everyone's sake; friend and foe alike.

"Oh gods..." Robin breathed.

"We... We... We..." Jackie stuttered.

"We... failed?" Ryo finished in disbelief.

"Tch." Shani looked away just as distraught.

"DAMN YOU, GANGREL!" Chrom exclaimed in anger.

"NOOOOOO!" Lissa wailed with tears in her eyes.

"Audino..." Angela tried to comfort the princess, but even she was shaking.

As everyone remained frozen at the scene, Gangrel laughed. "Bwa ha ha haa! Well now! How disgustingly noble. And so lovely a fall! Here I thought death to be an ugly thing. I've never seen one fall so gracefully, in fact. And I've seen many fall! Ah, so ends Emmeryn, Ylisse's most exalted! But how can we ensure everyone remembers this beautiful moment of her sacrifice? Perhaps we should gather up her body and put it on display! Bwa ha ha!"

At those words, Chrom finally snapped. "Gangrel! You die today!"

Before Chrom could rush forward and potentially do something drastic, Basilio and Flavia rush in to stop the enraged prince.

"No, boy!" Basilio held Chrom back. "I secured and escape route! We have to flee!

Chrom looked over to where his sister's body laid, his fists shaking. "B-but...her body... I have to..."

"You have to RUN! Now do it! Robin! Don't let him do anything stupid!"

Robin's head hung, and tears dotted her eyes, but she managed to nod and grab Chrom's wrist, pulling him away. "Chrom, we have to go."

"Chrom, please..." Sibuna said his voice barely a whisper.

Chrom hesitated, his eyes clenched together as he felt tears stinging them. Nevertheless, he let himself be pulled away as Basilio and Flavia fended off what remained of the Plegian fleet.

Jackie's fists too were clenched tight, a heavy feeling settling into her chest. She was mad. Madder than she ever though was possible, especially for someone like her. So badly she wanted to send out one of her pokemon to retrieve Emmeryn's body, but she remembered that she had sent most of her team away to help free Phila and the other Pegasus knights and her Charizard was still recovering from the attack by Gangrel. Not that it made much of a difference in the end.

Ryo was having similar thoughts, blaming herself for not doing anything more, and she felt almost naked without her team beside her. She couldn't send Yuki out now, as the ice/ghost type had taken a lot of damage from the attack on her and Talvian.

Just behind her, Shani's teeth grit to the point where they hurt, but she ignored it in favor of the anger, grief and sadness running through her. For the first time in five years, Shani felt absolutely helpless.

The Shepherds continued their escape, each of them conveying their grief in their own way, though they forced in back in favor of concentrating on making it out alive.

Basilio and Flavia managed to push Gangrel's army back and join the rest of them. "Come on! Let's get a move on!" Flavia commanded, before turning to Ryo and Shani. "I believe they belong to you. Really helped us out in the jam we were in."

Midnight came back from behind the Khans along with Chaka, as they jumped back into their trainer's arms and making inquisitive noises, almost asking where Emmeryn was.

"*Sniff* Ooh... you two... We failed... E-Emmeryn's she... she..." Ryo sobbed unable to finish.

The Zorua made a shocked yelp as she started to cry in her trainer's embrace. Chaka, being so young, didn't understand what was happening but he somehow knew it was and started to bawl too.

As Shani was comforting the Shinx, tears threatened to escape her eyes to.

Why must the good suffer so much?! WHY?! Emmeryn didn't deserve this! And neither did her siblings!

When she turned to see Ryo so shaken, she got reminded of the scared, confused girl she was a long time ago before becoming in many people's words "a cynical, suicidal asshole". For some reason, those confusing feelings she gets around this girl were telling her that Ryo needed her now more than ever, or she might end up like herself.

 _'After all, I don't want that beautiful person gone,'_ She thought, not caring what those thoughts implied.

...

Marth gasped as she managed to reach the scene, her Absol nearby.

"No. NO! I'm too late. Our bleak future is written once more, and darkness awaits us all." She said with such despair that she couldn't look anymore.

As Marth turned away, the Absol stayed behind, looked at scene one last time and hung his head in shame. His master tried so hard to prevent the death of the Exalt and now this happens. Times like this he wishes his kind could predict more than just natural disasters.

Just as he was about to leave, out of the corner of his eye, he sees another portal that had been dropping Pokemon in this world for all this time appear on the ground by the castle and as the Pokemon came out, Emmeryn fell in.

"Sol?"

 **In the Pokemon World...**

Ula Ula Island, the largest island in the Alola region.

While most people think of the place as a tropical paradise, most people forget that the very top of Mount Lanakila, the tallest mountain in the region, can get cold enough to get snow. And this very mountain will be the site of the Alolan Pokemon League, once the building is complete that is.

"So this is where the League is going to be huh? Quite the fitting location for it, Professor." Mused a young man as he scanned the area. He was fairly tall with an average build, had lightly tanned skin, deep golden eyes and shoulder length teal hair. He wore winter gear and a ninja-like bandana.

The tan shirtless man with a lab coat (strangely not feeling cold) next to him, Professor Kukui gave a laugh. "Thanks! I thought you would like to see it area before we close off the mountain, Skyler. With any luck the Alolan Pokemon League will be up and running within a year and trainers from all over can experience the trials not just people born and raised here."

The young man, Skyler Merrickson, nodded at Kukui's words. It felt like so long ago when he and his mother moved to Malie City on Ula Ula from Sable City in Kanto after she divorced his father.*1

Even though he was older and not native to the islands, he was allowed to go through the trials to show he was welcome. While he was happy to see that Alola finally had it's own League, he felt honored to go through the Island Challenge the old way with his Pokemon.

 _'It was nice not be judged for what I am,'_ Skyler thought bitterly.

Not to far away, Skyler's Starter Pokemon, a Primarina named Lilliana, was entertaining herself by singing to a small cluster of Snorunt for fun.

"Snorunt! Snorunt!" The little Ice types gave an applause once the song was over.

"Priii~!" Lillian beamed as she took a bow.

All was fine until the group of Pokemon heard a loud thud behind them. Being curious little creatures, the Snorunt went over to the small cliff to see what it was and, worried for their safety, Lilliana joined them and was ultimately shocked by what she saw.

"PRIMA?!"

Skyler jumped at his partners distressed call. "Lilliana?"

"What's going on?" Professor Kukui questioned.

"I don't know but something's wrong!"

The two dashed towards to where the Primarina and group of Snorunt were as the Pokemon were desperately trying to call them over.

"Lilliana? What's wrong?"

"Pri! Prima!" She tried to answer her trainer by pointing down the cliff. Both men looked down and were surprised to see a young blonde woman in green robes motionless on the ground not far away.

"W-Where did she come from?!" Kukui exclaimed in surprise. Skyler didn't answer but jumped over the small cliff towards the woman and put two fingers on her neck to check for a pulse. For a moment he thought it was too late...

...Until he felt a very faint thumping.

"I got a pulse!" Exclaimed Skyler in relief.

"Well make like a Quick Attack and get to the Pokemon Center! They have a hospital for people who get hurt this high up!"

After quickly returning his Primarina to her Pokeball, Skyler picked up the woman bridal style and ran as quickly as he could back down the mountain path. If anyone was paying attention it would look like he was _actually_ using Quick Attack.

 **Meanwhile...**

Inside the Ruins of Abundance, Tapu Bulu, the guardian of Ula Ula, was fast asleep in the deepest part of the cavern; his tiki closed to the rest of the world and snoring could be heard.

"TAPU BULU!"

"Gah!" The Land Spirit Pokemon jolted awake at the loud voice. "Who? What? Where?"

As he was started to calm down was greeted by a glowing portal mirror showing a certain Legendary.

"Oh... hey Alpha..." He said still sleepily until it finally clicked who he was talking too. "L-Lord Arceus?! I'm not dreaming am I?"

"I'm pretty sure you aren't." The Alpha Pokemon rolled his eyes at the Tapu. "Let's cut to the chase, are you aware of the situation we're having right now? About the Pokemon and as of recently the two humans that are being pulled from our world appearing in another?"

"Yes, me and my siblings know this when you suddenly pulled us into the Hall of Origin for that meeting! Or did you not see us?"

"Oh I knew you four were there from your 'brief complaints'."

 _'And by "brief complaints", I mean 'endless loud whining,'_ Arceus finished in his mind. "But back on topic, it seems when one of those portals were sucking in Pokémon, a human from that world accidentally fell through. And she's here right now, as we speak."

"Really? I mean that's weird and all, but why are you telling me this?" Tapu Bulu as he picked at his horns.

"Because she's on your island." Arceus answered and as proof the portal changed to show an image of Skyler carrying Emmeryn to the Pokemon Center on top of Mount Lanakila.

"She's pretty, for a human." Bulu remarked.

"More than that, she's her world's equivalent of a queen. And a very beloved one at that." Arceus said as he returned to view.

"Wow! Haven't seen a queen since the old days!"

"Her name is Emmeryn, as of today she's your responsibility and by extension the rest of your siblings for as long as she's in Alola." Stated Arceus.

"Aww... do we have to?" The Grass/Fairy type whined.

"Yes, you do." The creator god said with a stern voice. "I don't think you realize how serious this situation is Tapu Bulu. We should consider ourselves fortunate that Grima only blocked us from interfering with the other world when he took advantage of the time-space anomalies. And if what Naga says is true, millions of our own and many more along with the humans will be at risk as well if Grima somehow finds a way through and that includes your islands. Do. I. Make. Myself. **CLEAR?!** "

The force of that final word was strong enough to push Bulu back (And by extension could be felt by Pokemon all over the world). He gulped in nervousness and answered "V-Very."

"Good. I'm going to inform the rest of your family about Emmeryn; hopefully they will get the message. Remember Tapu Bulu: don't make me regret this choice."

After he closed the portal, Arceus sighed in frustration. The Tapu Clan were always some of the more... difficult members among the pantheon; sure Kyogre, Groudon, Tornadus and Thundurus can be pain to work with because of their egos but at least they do their duties and Rayquaza and Landorus knew how to keep them in line.

It was hard to get the Tapus to even do their jobs, and they usually don't want to work unless there's something in it for them. But since Alola is under their jurisdiction, he would have to work with them to keep Emmeryn safe until they could find a way to break through Grima's block and bring her back to her family.

"If only Solgaleo and Lunala were still alive. They were responsible guardians," He said solemly to himself.*2

 **...**

On the other end of the portal Tapu Bulu was silently floating by himself for a good few minutes.

"So he doesn't think I can do it, huh?" He asked to himself after getting over the shock. "And I was looking forward to another nap day but duty calls, I guess."

He then flew out of the ruins to head up to the mountain to see this new resident.

 ***1 Sable City is a location from the anime.**

 ***2 In case you couldn't tell the story (at the moment) takes place before Sun and Moon. My headcanon is the Solgaleo and Lunala are the few mortal Legendaries.**

 **Like what you see? Anything you wanna ask? Comment below and let me know! See ya! (Hopefully when the friggen power comes back to my neighborhood! *Grumble*)**


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